The Wards were very special beings that, despite having been present all along, remained entirely unknown. This was true for not only Frederica and other royalty but even the late Pope Gregorio IX, head of the Holy Church that supposedly controlled the very narrative of this world. There was no way for someone to find out about them, as they lived “behind the curtains” of the world, but now that the Wayside God of this age—Sol, the boy who was host to Player—was climbing onto the stage of history, they were emerging from the interstices of the world where they had been lurking to fulfill the purpose for which they had been made.
Put simply, the Wards’ purpose was to protect the status quo of this world. That meant eliminating—sealing away—everything that did not belong. That was why they had been named “the Wards” by the unidentified being who had spoken directly into the minds of Sol, the All Dragon, and the Elven Queen during their battle with the Vacant Demon Lord.
They had not remained hidden all this time due to long-lost technology or complicated large-scale magic. Very simply, it was because they thoroughly erased every last person who learned of their existence whenever they manifested to seal away a target. For the sake of protecting the rightful state of the world, they were not beyond sacrificing a country or two. In fact, they wouldn’t hesitate even if it meant complete ruination of the world for a while.
Although the Wards existed to protect that world, their definition of that world did not include society or the people living in it. They cared about the world as a whole, both the inside and outside. At that scale, the humans who were born, lived, and died inside as they pleased were of no consequence. That was why there wasn’t a single mention of the Wards even in Biblioteca, the crystallization of human knowledge and tenacity. Besides the Old Rulers, absolutely no one but the Wards themselves knew of their existence.
This meant that they, too, had once been sealed away and removed from the world, making them Wards in both senses of the word. They themselves were something to be put away just as much as they put others away. This meant that they were indeed bound by the provisions that steadily grew in number as the world continued to exist.
These beings were once again rousing from their slumber, their latest target being the current Wayside God, who had just obtained the third monster card. Inside a massive spherical space lined on the inside, with monitors located near the top of the Tower and therefore way past the stratosphere and firmly in space, countless bright lights flickered to life, with one gradually assuming humanoid form.
Back when this figure had itself been a target for sealing, it had been known by the alias Unlimited Sword Glint. Now, it was the first one chosen by the mysterious entity to face the Boy Who Ruled the Monsters.
Finally, Sol was facing opponents not only from within the world but from without—from the wayside for which he was named.
✦ ✦ ✦
Thus ends the Vacant Demon Lord arc.