Chapter 208: Rohakhan’s Words (3) (1/2)
“Please be a good teacher.”
Rohakan smiled broadly at me.
“Your talent sucks. Your achievements at your current level can be called a miracle.”
“…”
“Of course, you must have put a lot of effort into it. However, your achievements would not have been possible without a change of soul.”
Change of soul. Somehow that bothered me.
“But don’t be heartbroken. Even if you kill me today, you will always be able to meet the past me here.”
“…You mean the Rohakan from the past?”
“Yes. I made this space to stay a little longer. I left the rest of my life in this space as much as I could. There is an older Rohakan in this vineyard.”
I looked around the vineyard. Mana and time intertwined, visible to the Vision. Suddenly, the letter Rohakan left came to mind.
[Deculein, the disciple I still will meet a lot…]
“That’s why you said that I’m the disciple you’ll meet a lot.”
“Yes. I have already met the future you many times here. You who killed me and came to see me again.”
The origin of Rohakan, the World Line. He had created his world line here and now. In other words, he stretched his past and future self.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. So, for now, kill me. I’ll be able to teach you after that. You, who came after killing me, had very strong mana.”
Maybe it was because the quality of mana increased. If I killed Rohakan and enhanced the quality of my mana with the store currency, I would reach level 3, which I could be proud of even in this world.
“…Then. I will not waste time.”
“Good. Oh, there are a lot of knights down that hillside, so take them with you. I didn’t kill them, just tied them up, so they must be wandering around in their memories. With your mental strength, you will be able to save them.”
“Yes.”
I stood and activated Snowflake Obsidian. Blue and white crystals formed a straight line as if frozen in the air, taking on the shape of a blade.
“Deculein.”
Rohakan looked up into the sky as I grabbed the sword’s hilt.
“When the time comes, tell Sophien.”
Whoosh—
The leaves of the vine trembled. White grapes fluttered like snowflakes from the long branches and fell gently to the grass below.
“…Your curse has made and will make everyone around you unhappy.”
Rohakan closed his eyes and whispered into the air. The passing wind picked up his voice.
“I enjoyed the time I spent with you.”
A smile appeared on Rohakan’s lips. He called my name again.
“…Deculein.”
“Yes.”
“Even if Sophien kills you in the future, you will always be by her side.”
“Yes.”
I answered without hesitation. Deculein would always be next to Sophien. Of course, this was partly because the existence of Sophien was closely related to the main quest, but that was also a function of my personality.
“…Right.”
Rohakan nodded.
“It’s a relief to have you. Let’s meet again, disciple.”
There were no words after that. The wind stopped as if to say farewell.
“Yes.”
I slashed Rohakan, the Snowflake Obsidian digging into his neck. Even at that moment, my heart was cold. At the same time, a certain scene came to mind like an afterimage.
—…Why?
The dark corridor of the Imperial Palace, blood flowing from her dead mother. While staining her feet red, young Sophien asked Rohakan.
Why. With that one word, Rohakan bit his lip and clenched his fists. But what he would tell the child had already been decided.
—I killed her.
…As I put the dead Rohakan’s head in a wooden box, I thought of who killed the Empress. Maybe it was Sophien herself.
* * *
…Meanwhile, Julie and Sylvia were lying in the vines.
“This is because you forced yourself in.”
No, they were tied. The more they tried to escape, the deeper their imprisonment grew. The two slowly gave up and began to speak comfortably.
“I am looking for a way to get out.”
Julie said. Sylvia glared at her.
“You forced yourself inside. It’s because you’re heavy.”
“…I’m not heavy.”
“You’re over 70 kg.”
“Yes? W-What? No. And, I mean, even if that were the case, it would be natural for a knight.”
Sylvia shook her head. As she leaned her back against the vines, she looked up to the sky. The space was clear enough to see the mana in the air. Just by breathing here, Sylvia was growing. Her mana volume was increasing every second.
“…”
Silvia turned her gaze without saying a word back to Julie. The knight grunted and tried to escape. But her hands and feet were already bound, and she couldn’t do anything more than wriggle.
“How are you going to get revenge on Deculein?”
Sylvia asked. Julie paused for a moment.
“…Revenge?”
“Yeah.”
Julie was thinking a lot of the revenge she could enact on Deculein. On a just way to avenge everyone.
“My revenge is simple. To make Deculein himself admit all his sins.”
“What sins?”
“He ruined a lot of people.”
Aside from the Knights of Freyhem, there were many wizards whose careers were ruined by Deculein. Julie was speaking of all of them.
“…Also, some have taken their own lives. I am gathering evidence.”
Sylvia looked at Julie for a moment.
“One of them is my mother.”
“…What?”
Julie wore her surprise.
“Deculein killed my mother.”
“…”
Julie was speechless. Not knowing how she should react, her expression hardened. A hasty consolation could hurt Sylvia.
“So I’m going to kill him too.”
Sylvia looked up at the sky again. Pale mana pooled in her golden eyes.
“He must die by my hand.”
Julie watched her. She had no sympathy or compassion. Even that, Julie already knew, was rude. From the time she became engaged to Deculein, she noticed the gazes from her fellow knights, who pitied her, and that rather made her feel small and even more hurt…