Vol 18 Chapter 1 (1/2)
Chapter 1 - The One Striving Forward, The One Muddling Blindly Forward, The One Giving Up
The current tranquil atmosphere was undisturbed
He had left his position as the supervisor of the orphanage, and closed the dojo Other than occasionally going to see the graduates of the orphanage and the nearby residents who liked caring for people, no one would deliberately come here
Perhaps it was because of this, or because of the nostalgia he held towards this place, that Derek couldn't neglect the slight change in the air
With the sound of rolling wheels, Derek advanced to that place
He passed through the veranda of the place where he norlance, it was only a wooden cottage, but actually it used strong building materials, so even if a Military Artist conducted a se
This was a place to let Military Artists practice their techniques - the dojo
Derek entered the room
There was already a person inside
Sunlight shone in fro the floor and walls of the dojo shi+ne This kind of thing shouldn't happen, because this place had been abandoned for a long tiuest must have cleaned it before when Derek wasn't aware
The glaring brightness that he hadn't expected uest
That person had already taken up a stance with a practice sword in the center of the dojo He didn't see up a stance
But, his stance was quite si It was a sort of ideal stance that wasted no strength at all
Derek gazed for a bit, but that person still kept his stance without uest closed his eyes, cal his stance
From his body emanated the presence thatwith so that appeared in him
It was actually like that
This unknown guest had come here to communicate with someone who could only be felt here
”I entered by , the unknown guest relaxed his stance, and apologized to Derek
”It's alright”
Derek who had just been gazing at his blade-holding stance once again looked at the male before him A tattoo surrounded his left eye, and because of this, his face seemed somewhat impressive But, Derek didn't overlook the calm demeanor hidden within those eyes
”In any case, I'm already in this condition, so no one uses this place”
Derek patted the wheel
He sat on a wheelchair Because his Kei vein had been daed with the nerves in the bottoive you this dojo”
Derek's sudden proposal made the male show a surprised expression
”Hah, what are you joking”
”You think it's a joke? You have the qualifications”
Derek wasn't h he didn't even know his last na in front of hie
”I saw the figure of er than the last time I saw him, and his disciple has returned Therefore, you obviously have the qualifications to inherit this dojo”
”You have successors like this”
”Ah, I had a successor But, he has already gone far away, and will never return”
Derek recalled that day in front of the ht appeared the figure of Layfon surpassing Derek and advancing forward
”That person's very strong, right? Far stronger thanBut, it's his nature to be lost”
”Lost?”
”Correct”
Though he had surpassed Derek, the haze in Layfon's heart had not been dispersed because of it, and he hadn't been liberated In front of the reality that awaited him next, the haze that swarer
”Lost, lost I fear that it's that person's nature to be only able to obtain things by being perplexed several tih he's so strong?”
”It's because he's strong that he's like that”
Judging from his tone, the man seemed to know Layfon, but Derek didn't touch upon that subject, but rather continued to speak
”It's because he was already so strong when he grew up that he used that strength to skis that norrew up, so the current hi lost, desperately grabbing on to so He had to experience the tears left behind by defeat
”It's because he resolves anything he encounters with strength that he's deficient in sos, he can't obtain anything”
Derek couldn't say whether it would be a long or short time before his haze was dispersed
But, there was so that was quite clear
”This dojo doesn't exist only for hih if there is a possibility to birth the disciples of Psyharden”
”So, if you can bear it, then I will give it to you”
The uninvited guest had no response
However, he spoke his own nale person left, Derek softly murmured the name:
”Haia Laia?”
His heart overfloithdisappeared entirely, the old man stayed inside the dojo
◇
When Haia returned to the house in the district that received people fro inside the rooo out?”
”I have no interest in sightseeing, and ather inforht, those two aren't here, huh”
Haia surveyed the roo a book in the living room Once he walked inside, he could see a row of doors, each one having a single room and bed past it
Karian and others had rented this big rooroup
In this big room was only Karian by himself
”I asked Stania and Myunfa to inspect the itinerary of the Military Arts competition”
”I know that!”
They had arrived to Grendan with a purpose
In order to make Haia Laia a Heaven's Blade successor
”But~ Is this okay?”
”What's okay or not?”
”I feel that this deviates a bit frooal should be to let the whole world understand the truth that he had experienced, to tell of the dangers hidden behind the truth to the people in these isolated gardens that were the s that had happened in Grendan In other words, even if Karian ca Grendan in order to make Haia a Heaven's Blade successor, could that action be in vain?
”It's not in vain”
The other party felt that he was being courteous, huh Karian's htly curved upwards
”How much ti to every city in the world?”
”An impossible amount of time”
”Correct, in other words that method won't work”
”Hah?”
”Therefore, we can only rely on the spread of information froer, there should be people who come forward and spread the truth”
”Because it's dangerous, there will also people who pretend to have not heard the truth”
”Or people will think they need to do nothing, believing that the situation isn't urgent, or use the infors I also anticipate those kinds of people will appear”
Karian nodded his head in assent to Haia's words, then put the book down to the side
”I aeous inforer If I make one misstep, it will throw many societies into turmoil, and may create riots No, it will definitely create riots Myaround the world andsocieties unsafe”
”Haha, sooner or later I'll becoerous person”
”Co his head in assent with a serious expression at his half-joke, Haia was speechless
”Ah, I don't plan to pull Grendan to become partners in crime, nor do I think that we should take e can After all, they won't be satisfied witha Heaven's Blade out of the city”
”Then why do you do this?”
”Didn't I say? The things I do can almost only rely on the unconfir else I can do, I want to try it out”
”Like lettingthe person who has a chance at beco a Heaven's Blade to Grendan Whether you can become or not is up to yourself”
”Hh
”I will get a Heaven's Blade sooner or later I already decided that, and if you want to help, I'll accept your help”
”That's how it is Right, where did you go just now?”
”A grave”
”Ah”
Perhaps because he believed he had no reason to continue asking, Karian began reading again
Soon after, Stania and Myunfa returned
Karian listened to their report
”In other words, we have to first pass through several competitions, is that the case”
”Yes We did not find out what qualities or prerequisites a Heaven's Blade successor needs, but judging from the information that we received of past Heaven's Blade successors, they had to first pass through several competitions to confirm their power in order for the Queen to conduct the Heaven's Blade successor deciding competition”
Stania replied skillfully
”Will our birthplaces ?”
Perhaps it was the price that had to be paid in order for thecities to protect the people from harm by filth monsters, but the closed structures of society usually excluded foreigners
How grand of a role would be held by those who came from outside the city yet were able to become Heaven's Blade receivers? Haia's concerns were quite reasonable
”Ah, there seem to be no problems with that”
Myunfa happily replied to Haia's inquiry:
”Since there are already Lintence, Reverse, and Cauntia before Even if you're a Military Artist fro as you have power, the current Queen will actively recruit you”
”That person is really incredible~”
Though Haia's words were strong, he showed a relaxed expression, and Karian involuntarily sardless, in the end, it's possible for you to obtain a Heaven's Blade”
”Nn, I know that Then, next it should be enough to pass through the coht?”
”Correct But if it's only like that, it's unknohen the Queen will hold the qualification co?”
Karian's words made Haia frown in surprise
”The Queen decides whether to hold the Heaven's Blade successor qualifying coardless of howas the Queen hasn't decided to hold the coin”
”Ah It seems that way~”
”The Queen can't rely only on her s I think the Queen will also assess herself whether the person is a Military Artist who is capable of using a special Dite like the Heaven's Blade, and then carry out the coht~”
”But, considering the inforathered on the Queen Alsheyra Als can't be like that”
”What does that mean?”
”First, and perhaps this counts as the most important reason, she has a personality that likes to play around, and has a tendency to decide things on the spur of the moment The Queen can't rely only on whether or not it's interesting to decide ih I'd say that that personality see out the competition”
”So then will be your ti smile appeared on Haia's face, and Karian also showed the same expression
Karian's battle plan was this:
First, use normal methods to pass the preliminary competitions, to let the people of Grendan know of the existence of Haia Laia
”Try to use spectacular methods to win”
”Because that stands out rather ardless of whether the evaluation is good or bad, it is ih, youMilitary Artist ethical conduct”
”Is it alright to stand out with a negative ie?”
”My intuition is that the Queen seems to like eccentric people”
”Hah?”
”That actually seems how it is”
The doubt on Haia's face athered assessments on the Heaven's Blade successors, and there are only a sroup that are model Military Artists and behaved citizens, with all the others having some flaw in their personalities”
”People who have extraordinary strength should for the most part have some deviation in their personalities It's very hard to decide that it has nothing to do with power”
”Not only this, but the personality of the Queen herself is very odd Froathered, the Queen openly uses a body double during formal ceremonies The body double is one of the Heaven's Blade successors, and this is already a well-known thing a the city's residents”
”Is this body double significant?”
”No But, though the Queen knows that the city's residents have seen through it, she still continues to let that person stand in for herself”
”How baffling”
”The Queen enjoys this kind ofout is to incur the Queen's favor, then?”
”Are you dissatisfied?”
”That~ I wanted to achieve her approval with a frontal attack if I could”
”We don't have to cheat during the competition process Moreover in the end, if you don't have the power to hold a Heaven's Blade, everything is less All I can do is make the Queen notice your existence as soon as possible”
”The one who actually implements this is you, so I have no authority to command you But, in order for you to become a Heaven's Blade successor as quickly as possible”
”Aah, I know, I know!!”
Haia raised his hands high in surrender, and Karian nodded his head
”Hm, in that case, this is the next battle plan”
”There'sout can't count as a battle plan, right?”
Haia showed a somewhat impatient expression, so Karian looked at Stania:
”I asked her to look for people who have been recognized as Heaven's Blade successors in waiting”
”What did you say?”
”Then”
Under the gazes of the others, Stania once again spoke:
”First, there's a person as seen as the foremost choice, but because of an unfortunate accident recently he was forced to retire”
”Retire?”
”Yes That person was called Terios, and supposedly he was injured in an accident, and then that happened That's how things are”
”Oh?”
The expression on Haia's face carried so theof that expression, Stania also nodded her head
”That person was part of the royal family, so he could have hidden for some suspicious reason In short, the person as seen as the foremost choice has already departed from the battle for the Heaven's Blade”
”The person in the lead is out, so the current situation is hard to anticipate?”
”Correct The people who are seen as secondaries”
”Hm”
Karian looked at the data handed to him
”In this case it see the data with pictures once over, Karian ?”
Haia looked over with so this person”
Karian spoke while tearing a photograph fro it for the others to see
”What does everyone think?”
”Seems to have an odd personality”
”Huh? That That How How should I say it”
”Seems to only have looks”
”Ah, never ht that even our fehly”
Karian once again confirmed the picture in his hand The facial features and hairstyle of the person in the picture were very good-looking, so Karian had thought that he would give a decent iirls ere tricked by this ht that you were a coirls”
”What did you say?”
”Nothing~”
”In other words, at the least this nored”
”Hearing the exchange between Stania and Haia, Karian confirhts toward the uy?”
Haia flicked the picture with his finger, seelare
”His name is Inbait Touslane? Ah, that name is indeed suitable”
”Eh?”
”Now that you knoill explain the plan Haia, please beco is that I want you to stage a show”
Karian tried to explain like this, but Haia first, followed by Myunfa and Stania all showed expressions of being unable to understand
”I can't understand, isn't it enough to defeat all of the potentials in the competition?”
”It's true that the final conclusion will be like that Perhaps a frontal attacks, the most suitable method is to knock down all of the potentials in a breath After all, I have nothing to criticize about that kind ofthat ”
”Ah?”
”Think about it, ill be th? The normal citizens of the city To the Heaven's Blade successors and the Queen who is even stronger than the”
”Ah”
”In other words, though flaunting a crushi+ng strength can please the citizens, ityour methods the Queen will be happy?”
”Not only this, even the nor?”
Haia see to do this
”Do you hate cheating during a fight?”
”If it's this kind of fraud!”
It wasn't that Karian didn't understand Haia's way of thinking Karian had a habit, that in order tocertainly succeed, he would elierous ele offensive If he could, Haia wanted to attack head-on and rightfully fight for the Heaven's Blade
Karian clearly understood Haia's frame of mind
However
”From my point of vieant you to become a Heaven's Blade successor as quickly as possible”
”That's so I've heard before”
”Ah, in that case, I no longer have any other words to convince you”
Other than Karian, everyone felt a great sense of surprise at his sentence
”Decide for yourself Toas you become a Heaven's Blade successor, I have already acco power?”
”Correct This world bears the fate of resistance, so I have to provide the ih force to face this fate, and then I also want to arouse the awareness of other powers This is my mission, the mission entrusted to myself”
”By now, I don't even want to hear your ambitions”
Haia showed an annoyed expression, and Karian raised his hands to indicate that he would say no more, and then left the room
It was nearly dinnertime, and Karian walked towards the restaurant
”Is this okay?”
Chasing froht up to him like this
”What's okay or not?”
”Young master is his e tolike obtaining a Heaven's Blade isn't so only on a -cherished wish to him, so the situation isn't that simple”
”But”
”When we started out he see battle, he see in places outside of battle”
”Because tricks in battle are also a way of offense”
”Hm”
But, Haia had once before kidnapped Felli in order to challenge Layfon to a fight
So Karian had recognized that he was able to use suchthat is a choice of last resort?”
At the tie of the chaotic situation of the Military Arts competition to use such rasp the entire situation
Of course, Karian also couldn't learn of his thoughts at the tihts towards Layfon, judging by the Mercenary Gang's actions afterward, it was definite that so at that ti
”Is he unexpectedly good-natured?”
”What do you plan to do?”
”Ah, it's not that using a head-on attack and fighting battle after battle means he can't become a Heaven's Blade If the situation turns into that, we can only wait for the conclusion”
◇
Haia didn't know that there were people in the corridor discussing hi the situation in his heart
”Haia?”
”Ah I'm fine”
An uncomfortable voice made him raise his head Eyes that seemed about to cry like usual looked at Haia
Myunfa's worries weren't totally wrong
”If it were normal, it would make no difference to follow Boss Karian's battle plan~”
Haia showed a forced smile It wasn't that Karian wanted Haia to do evil deeds like kidnapping people, but only wanted hi him stand in the most favorable position The situation was only like that If things were nors unabashedly That should be the case
Up till now, Haia had used that frame of mind to listen to Karian's words
”Do you hate this plan that much?”
”Eh~ I'ust had not appeared in Haia's heart
However, a slightly strange hesitation had indeed showed up in his heart
”What should I say~ It's right that I only want a Heaven's Blade~”
But, this was because Haia felt that he could only repay what his adoptive father Ryuhou had given him like this Also, this was because Ryuhou's friend and companion Derek's son Layfon had beco Haia's competitive heart
He wanted to prove that he was very strong
To whouys here?”
”The Mercenary Gang seems to have disbanded”
”It really turned into this~”
Haia had known that in his heart long ago After coan cru Haia obviously had to supervise it, but ht have already accomplished the expectations of its mission
”What about Fermaus?”
”Doesn't seem to be here”
”Not here?”
Fer's Psychokinesist, an oldat the same time as Ryuhou, and a person whose hometoas Grendan After Haia left, Fere of the Mercenary Gang, so he should have seen with his own eyes the dissolving of the Mercenary Gang
”His hometown should be Grendan, but somehow he didn't stay here!?”
”Ah?”
Myunfa tilted her head to think with a serious expression, and Haia could only mutter the words, ”Ah, no difference”
”Perhaps he went to travel by hiht in the Mercenary Gang for Ryuhou, and had dutifully 's operations after he died However, Haia had been the one who destroyed the Mercenary Gang, and this etic
”Is that why?”
Myunfa also cared about Fermaus
”That's all I can think of”
The person who had always been by him had left If he didn't knohen they would cross paths or where they would see each other again, he could only trust that the other person was happy
”Ah but how should I say it, this i”
That kind of hard-to-describe feeling was truly very annoying The situation with the Mercenary Gang suddenly appeared in his heart, so Haia felt that they were the reason for his impatient mood Because of that, Haia had asked Myunfa for news about theh he asked, the situation wouldn't i of suddenly being enlightened, nor did he feel more impatient
In other words, the situation of the Mercenary Gang didn't have anything to do with his current uys are also the reason Though they're the reason, they're not the only reason, that's definitely correct”
”Haia?”
Haia's response as he scratched his hair made Myunfa ask this in a worried tone
Haia felt that he had almost found the answer However, no matter how much more he said this was all he felt Haia also didn't knohether this was truly the reason for his impatience
”In other words, its that?”
The event that happened in the dojo
Haia had thought of going to see the place that was related to Ryuhou, so he had advanced to the Psyharden dojo, and then had come across Derek there
That person was Layfon's teacher Haia didn't want to reveal his identity, and hadn't thought of getting along ith Derek Haia also knew of Ryuhou's thoughts towards Derek, but another kind of essentially co had constructed a wall in his heart
Derek had easily stepped across that wall
Haia began feeling that the words Derek had spoken in front of himself at the ti
”Beco a Heaven's Bladea resident of this city”
”Nn”
”Do you think I can set down my roots?”
”I'm sure you can”
”Really? I am Haia Laia, known even by Myunfa to be the trickster Haia”
”That's froe sos that had happened in his hometown After his Military Artist parents died, no one illing to adopt Haia, and because of this he had becoin e he continually perforht by the city police, and received the death penalty of being expelled froht before the sentence and sheltered Haia
”I think the life of roa from one city to another is very suitable for rate well into even the Mercenary Gang that he had once thought of as his hoht, that's correct After all it's a fact that I want to become a Heaven's Blade successor”
Myunfa see
However, Haia deliberately did not ask
”Moreover, if the things froht Or maybe escape, there's that option~”
”Haia”
”Okay, I'll go according to the boss's battle plans”
The i hadn't disappeared, but Haia already saw its true colors
Setting his roots down in a city When he was facing the reality of obtaining a Heaven's Blade, he had noticed another fact
He couldn't set down his roots
Haia planned to use this decision to scrub away the impatience
In order to catch up to Karian and the others, Haia walked to the restaurant, However, that impatience still remained in his heart
◇
”It see has appeared recently”
The Queen said this The cool weather had already become a part of normal life, and one could truly feel that the city had entered the autumn
”Oh”
Elsmau turned her head around, and before her was the Queen with a bulletin of the Military Arts competition in her hand The Queen see the leaflet detailing the results of the competition from that day
”He's a hot topic”
”Oh”
Elsuous tone
She knehat the Queen wanted to say
But honestly, she wanted to pretend she was unaware if she could
On the leaflet was printed a big caption: 'Haia Laia wins beautifully, an unstoppable winning record'
”He eliminated the Military Artists seen by the citizens as Heaven's Blade contenders one by one in order He started with that what's he called? That person with no use except for looks?”
Inbait Touslane Elsmau muttered that name in her heart, but she completely didn't want to tell the Queen that inforle-handedly do all of Grendan's infore on many Psychokinesists with Elsmau at the center
Even if that was hoorked, all of the information would centralize at Elsmau, but Elsently gather information herself, and moreover this information had no reason to be conveyed
”This Haia Laia, isn't that guy your previous boss?”
But in front of the Queen Alsheyra Al wouldn't work
”Your Majesty The current me has already sealed away the past”
Perhaps it was the lack of change in expression that kept the other party fro, but Elsmau's displeasure dissipated in front of the Queen
The reason Elsmau didn't have expressions wasn't because she wore the cold mask of a Psychokinesist, but because she had yet to adapt to co her facial muscles once before
”You shouldn't have needed to seal theht?”
”But, I'm different from other people, not a for a Heaven's Blade I think that in this kind of situation, it wouldn't be such a good idea to open my past”
By the nature of Psychokinesists, they couldn't wield all of their power in a competition, nor could they hold a shon Moreover even if there were people who did this, very few could please the city's residents and make them come in advance to watch the competition Also, Delbone had been the first of these kinds of people to be a Heaven's Blade successor - since there were no other Psychokinesists as Heaven's Blades, there were no conventions for any methods by which a Psychokinesist becaht to set contributions on the battlefield as standards for assess experience in Grendan was not plentiful, and she had been sheltered in the Mercenary Gang at a very young age, and o wouldn't convince the current Military Artists