Chapter 118

The fine grains covered me like dust, then sank into the ground. I gripped my sword and began moving toward the nearest human settlement, possessed of the urge to kill the man I had seen. However, more time had passed than I thought. I learned the man had already been killed over two hundred years ago. “…” After that, I wandered alone, finally returning to my old village. But there was nothing left. I couldn’t even tell there had been a battle there. Elphenterius, the people, Tsukasa, Gaddie, Kanya. None of them. There wasn’t a single trace remaining. I wandered through that place like a ghost, finally arriving at the very place my prison had been. “…Ah.” I spotted it. Where once had been the dust of my prison, now there was a set of clothes. “Are these…Kanya’s?” I fell to my knees and took them in my hands. “WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!” It was like my emotions had been frozen along with myself and had only now thawed. “Why?! Why, why, why, why, why?!!” “Don’t worry, Master Nono, it’ll be okay. You’ll be safe, I promise.” “We’ll make sure you survive.” “What’s the point in making sure I stay alive?! What am I supposed to do now?! How am I supposed to live now that everyone’s gone?!” There was nothing I cared about in this world. No trace of the people I once loved, and even the one I hated I had already lost to the passage of time. I had earned power, I had earned freedom, and yet I had nothing. “Our only purpose is to keep you alive. That’s all we’ve ever lived for.” “We must safeguard the divine blood. That was your mother’s dying wish.” “I don’t care, I don’t care!! Who cares about the divine blood?! Why was I given it? I didn’t ask for it!!” I slashed open my wrists, expelling the so-called “divine blood” from my veins. Forcing it out of my body. “Haah…haah… I’m not a divine being. I don’t have divine blood… I’m not ‘Master Nonorick’…” The blood formed into a glowing sphere, which I crushed between my fingers. “I’m just Nono. Nono the vampire.” It was from then on that I began calling myself Nono. I became just a normal vampire with normal blood. I began wearing the black military garb, my only memento of Kanya’s, and began using the sword techniques that Gaddie had taught me. And so, Nono stayed alive, as proof they had once existed. That was his reason for living. “N-ngh…” “Oh, looks like you’re awake.” “Oh, he’s so cuuute!! Even from inside the current hero, I could never get enough of seeing him in his army uniform! Ohh!! DIES. OF. CUTE.” A pair of strangely familiar voices tickled my mind awake. “Wha…? Where am I…?” When I opened my eyes, I didn’t understand what I was looking at. Perhaps some part of me thought I was still dreaming. “Long time no see, Nonorick.” “Wakey-wakey, Nono! Ooh, aren’t you just the cutest?” “Tsukasa…? Gaddie…?” Before me were the forms of two people I had watched perish centuries ago. “Sorry to wake you up so suddenly, Nonorick, but I’m afraid there’s much to discuss and precious little time. We can’t stay separated much longer… I suppose seeing is believing.” “That’s right, so come here, Gadrick.” “…Why are you always like this?” Gaddie sighed and reached out a hand toward his partner. When he did, the two of them overlapped and became one. It was the same technique I’d seen that day, when I’d been trapped in the crystal. Their hair seemed to change between red and black depending on the light. The face was androgynous, and their eyes were different colors—one black, and one crimson. All this contrasted starkly with their skin, which looked deathly pale. Condensed mana poured off their body like steam, and the very air seemed to crackle with power. “Face our trial! Sword of Sin: Ravenous Vampire! For this is the point of no return!” “Grh?!” Before I knew it, I faced a murderous flurry of blades. I roused myself and tuned my senses for combat in an instant. “Hey, what’s the matter?! It’s not a trial if you don’t fight back!!” “Grh! Dammit!!” Their cuts were a perfect balance of measured and wild. “You’d better pay attention, or this’ll be over as fast as you can blink! Has centuries of laziness made you weak?” “Grhhh! Shut up! Don’t patronize me!!” Before I could even think, my body moved. A pair of white swords appeared in my hands, and I unleashed an uncountable volley of swings in response. In that moment, my mind felt clear, as though it had been replaced with something else. I could see everything, process all information, my mind running at blinding speeds. My senses grew unbelievably sharp, forcing me, against my will, to confront the growing realization that what I was seeing was no dream at all. “Are you Gaddie, or Tsukasa?! Argh, it’s too complicated! Why in the world are you here?!” Faster, faster, faster. The more our swords clashed, the more my heart was stirred. “Why? Well, there’s many reasons, but ultimately, it’s because we’re the hero. When we died, we were drawn into the hero’s power before getting a chance to reincarnate.” “I already don’t understand! Why are you attacking me, then?!” “Didn’t we just say? This is a trial. This is where you will be forced to make your final decision. We don’t accept weaklings around here, so we’re here to filter out the riffraff!” “Gh-ghah!!” With each exchange and parry, I found myself edging closer and closer to a losing state, like a chess problem with a predefined solution. Soon, my opponent would have the freedom to prepare a killing strike. My blades rang, and it felt like it wouldn’t be long before they were torn from my bloodied grip. I managed to hold on to them, but the force of the blows knocked me clean off my feet, and I flew headlong into the side of a cliff. “Whoa, whoa, you’re light as a feather. Has wearing a girl’s clothes stunted your testosterone levels?” “Grh… Shut up… You’re just too strong, that’s all…” Now that I had been thrown clear from the fight, I took a moment to evaluate my surroundings. I was in a circular arena about a hundred meters in diameter, littered with cracked boulders, barren ground, and blasted trees. The whole battlefield was enclosed by high stone cliffs whose peaks I couldn’t see, even if I craned my neck. I refocused all my senses on the foe before me. “So this isn’t a dream,” I said. “And you’re not just some cheap copy cobbled together out of my memories or anything.” “I’m afraid we’re the real deal. Gadrick and Tsukasa, in the flesh. Well, we’re ghosts, so not really ‘in the flesh,’ but you get the point.” “In that case…that’s all I need to know,” I replied. “There’s a lot I need to tell you, Gaddie. While I was trapped inside that crystal, I practiced a lot. I never want to be left behind ever again.” “…” “You said that weaklings won’t get in, right? Well, why don’t you see for yourself how weak I am? I’ll show you how far Nono’s come!” I needed to get in and knock some sense into Kai’s noggin. This time, I wouldn’t let my friends leave me on the sidelines to watch—I would fight alongside them. So that I could give it all up for a single battle. A single moment. “Now, shall we play?” I activated “White Ramble,” deploying twelve swords into the air. “Ha-ha-ha! Very good! Seems like that personality of yours goes deeper than I thought. Let’s dance, and maybe I can see what’s really under there!” The grinning face before me was that of Gaddie and Tsukasa combined. I felt deeply wrong, like someone was gently circling my private parts with a rasp, but I steeled my nerve and launched myself at them. I don’t know how long the battle lasted. There was no night and day in that place, and all I was focused on was swinging my swords, so I lost track. “Haah…haah…haah…” “I see you really haven’t neglected your training. Your soul is replete with combat experience.” “Then why am I still so far behind?!” I had clearly been on the back foot the entire battle. My strikes were faster than anyone else’s, but in terms of raw power, I was beaten. One swing from the duo was enough to force back three of my swords. And even if I tried to follow up after that, they were fast enough to go on the defense almost immediately. I tried misdirection, feints, ambushes—none of it worked. They were simply better than me in every way that mattered. “Hmph!!” “Gahhh!!” Their sword slammed into mine, throwing me back into the cliff once again. “So? Ready to give up yet?” “…Of course not! I’m always ready for round two! ” I spurred my tired body on, readying the swords in my hands once more. “You must know you can never catch up to us, no matter how hard you try. Keep at it…and you’ll die, you know?” “Maybe so…but I can’t just give up either!” With unsteady steps, like a ghost, I walked back to the battlefield. “Give up?” “I didn’t have a choice back then, but I do now. If I turn back now, then I’ll be flying in the face of everything I lived for!” Kanya wasn’t here to protect me now. And even if she was, I was done being protected. The person fighting my battles now…was me, Nono. Even if I was tired and beaten, even if I didn’t know what I was fighting for anymore…none of that affected Nono. “…I knew it. You are weak.” “Just you watch. This battle isn’t over yet.” “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that.” I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine. “Your flame. Your hate. It’s weak.” “Grh?!” A dark, twisted smile, mixed with the void itself. “You don’t want revenge. You just want death. There’s no hatred behind your actions; you’re just scared to be alone. So scared you don’t want to be here anymore.” “Don’t talk like you know me!” I abandoned my defensive stance and lunged forward, thrusting my swords. My opponent caught them on theirs, but the power of my attack forced them back a little. “Did you have fun helping Kaito and Leticia with their vengeance? Did that help you blow off steam? You’re not like them. They dedicated themselves to revenge. You’re just lost.” “Nono’s not lost! Nono’s…” I hesitated for a moment. Taking advantage of that, they wheeled around to my rear and struck me in the back. I barely managed to block in time, but the force blasted me forward into the center of the arena. “You’re wearing Kanya’s clothes, using my sword techniques, and you even threw away your divine blood. You’re nothing more than a stray dog, looking for a place to die!” “No, you’re wrong!!” I flipped in the air, regaining my balance, and sprinted toward them once I landed. “Are we? You didn’t know what to do with your life, so you chose a reason to die for!” “What’s wrong with that?! Everyone’s gone! The whole village, Gaddie and Tsukasa, even Kanya! There’s no Elphenterius anymore, and even the bad guy who summoned him went off and got himself killed!! There’s no one left!!” “Oh?” “But still, I went on living!! So I could find a place where I could die in peace!! If I can die trying to save the world, then what’s so bad about that?!” Our guards crossed, I yelled in their face. Their accusations hurt so much, all I could do was tell them the truth. “Maybe I do want to die! Have you got a problem with that?!” “…Don’t make us laugh. We don’t intend to let you sacrifice yourself for nothing.” Suddenly, they seemed many times stronger than they had been in the fight so far. “We aren’t looking to martyr ourselves. We’re out for vengeance.” “Aaaaghh!” I fell to my knees, and as if to finish me off, a burning pain ran through my arms and legs. Each of my tendons had been severed, with such blinding speed as to suggest that they had been going easy on me up until now. “And so, you must live.” Their face looked unimaginably tragic to me. “But…why? Why can’t I be with you? Why do you want me to live in agony? I threw away the divine blood; you shouldn’t need me anymore!” Gaddie sighed. “The divine blood is the source of all vampires,” he said. “Vampires can reproduce just like other beings, but a true vampire, those who possess the divine blood, can also create vampires by passing that blood on. The divine blood is the seed of our race, and so we must protect it… But, to tell you the truth, that’s not why I did it. I only wanted to save you, Nonorick.” “I…” “I’m sure I speak for Tsukasa and Kanya, too. We just wanted to save that which could be saved. The same goes for our village. It wasn’t only out of gratitude to your ancestor that they fought for you that day. They wanted you to live on.” “I…know…that. I know all that!” I started sobbing. Even my own shame couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. I knew. I knew I’d achieved nothing by throwing away the divine blood. I knew how much the people of my village cared for me regardless. That was exactly what made it so hard to bear. “You’ve always feared being alone, Nonorick, ever since you were a little child… Here. I have something of yours that I promised to return.” Gaddie drew his own blade across his wrist, allowing the crimson liquid to fall onto my mouth. “…” The moment the first few drops hit my lips, I felt a latent power rise within me, like a flower beginning to unfurl. I was suffused with a deep satisfaction I could never feel, no matter how much mortal blood I drank. I felt every wound on my body close and disappear in an instant. “We were only able to save you,” said Gaddie, “by leaving you. You’ve been alone for a long, long time. I know that. But you’re not by yourself anymore.” “…I know that. I finally found someone I feel equal to. And you’re trying to keep me from him!” “Of course we are. This isn’t some friendly get-together we have going on here. You’re only using revenge as a means to an end. It can never be who you truly are. Even if you and Kaito share vengeance through the power of the soul blades, it’s pointless if your priorities aren’t aligned.” Before my wound closed completely, Gaddie placed his hand to the blood flowing out of me. “Do you remember the spell that Kanya used to save your life that day?” he asked. “That was a weaker form of a ritual perfected by the first hero. Originally, it could be undone at will, and the price was only a fraction of one’s life, not the full amount. I have borrowed the First’s power, and now I will use it to reawaken the vestiges of Kanya within you.” “Huh? What does that mean?” “Well, it means I can bring her back.” “You can bring Kanya back to life?!” “After a fashion. Think of it not as resurrection. More like…reincarnation.” I could feel something being drawn out from me at Gaddie’s touch. “What is this? It feels…” “You wouldn’t have to ask me that question if you still had the divine blood within you.” Whatever he was drawing out of me, it coalesced in his hand into a fine mist. It gave off a warm, gentle light, of a nature I could never fail to recognize. “Kan…ya?” I don’t know how I knew, but I did. It was her. “…Hrh. That should be enough. Now I just have to call upon the power of the First…” The mist in Gaddie’s hand began to glow brighter. Soon, it took on a clear form, changing into the shape of a baby. “Ah…” I held out my arms, and something incredibly soft and light landed in them. With the divine blood returned to me, I had feeling in my hands once more. “It’s so warm…” I heard its breathing. Felt the movement of its tiny lungs. “Nonorick. Do not be in a hurry to die. Kanya needs you now.” “Y-you can’t just…leave me with this… That’s not fair!” Gaddie held his sword aloft, and black wisps of mana swirled around it. “…The trial has ended. You are not worthy to continue along this path. As such, your contract is hereby annulled.” “W-waah…” Gaddie dropped his sword, like an executioner delivering the final blow. The sword passed straight through me, and I felt something deep within me come apart. It felt like shedding a layer of skin, and before long, darkness claimed my mind. The last thing Nono saw was the gentle smile of my beloved Gaddie. “How was that, brother? Are you satisfied?” Godrick appeared out of the ether of Kaito’s mental landscape in response to Gadrick’s question. “Hmph,” he grunted. “I expected worse. Now can you please do something about that ridiculous appearance of yours?” “Easier said than done,” Gadrick replied. “It’s not easy to separate again, you know… There we go.” Gadrick and Tsukasa stepped out of each other like an amoeba undergoing cell division. Immediately after their split, Gadrick dropped his shoulders in exhaustion. “Ohh, that’s not good,” he said. “Giving Nonorick his divine blood back really took it out of me.” “H-heh-heh. You look so sloppy, Gadrick.” “You’re not much better. I can hear your knees clacking together from here.” Gadrick had little strength to put into his comeback, and Tsukasa barely reacted at all. “I can’t believe you let this otherworlder inhabit your skin,” said Godrick. “She’s like a wraith possessing a priest.” “You don’t have to put it like that, brother. But, well, you’re not wrong.” Gadrick sighed. “Still, I suppose you’re happy now, aren’t you? Nonorick’s given up on vengeance, and he has his divine blood back. There’s no chance of him being absorbed into us now.” “…Yes. I thank you for that.” “Oh? Those aren’t words we hear very often from you.” “…I could not have hoped to fill his emptiness alone. And if I cannot even express my gratitude to those who make up for my own shortcomings, then what right do I have to call myself a lord?” “Ha-ha, well if that’s the case, then I must be the one to apologize, for leaving you to take care of him alone.” Gadrick gave a bitter smile. “And I’m afraid I must ask you to keep on doing so.” “Fear not. I am a lord. And a lord does not make the same mistake twice. Besides, it is my duty as an elder brother.” Saying this, Godrick picked up the sleeping Nonorick, who in turn held the sleeping baby in his arms. “Hey, there’s not much time left,” said Gadrick. “You’d better get out of here unless you want to be trapped forever.” “Are you giving me orders?” “Ha-ha-ha. Never change, brother… And be safe out there.” “Hmph. I’ll be waiting to see how all this pans out.” With that said, and with the same displeased frown as always, Godrick turned and disappeared into the darkness like a shadow. Trial of Gluttony: Failed.