“This time, I explained everything to you. Why won’t you understand? I’m an Apostle. I’m the chosen one destined to save the world. So why?” She hung her head, overcome with sorrow. But the reason for that sorrow was simply that others wouldn’t willingly die for her sake.
The chasm between us seemed impossible to bridge now. I’d truly wanted to resolve things through discussion. That hadn’t been a lie. But now that I knew it was far too difficult, I’d prioritize Dia’s safety. Right now, even my sister, Hitaki, had been taken. So there was no choice but to fight.
I reached to draw my sword. At that moment, the entire continent shuddered as if sinking several centimeters, and my vision blurred. An earthquake, as if timed perfectly, assaulted us with a thunderous roar. And through Dimension, I grasped its cause.
“Ide!”
On the hill ahead along this road, something moved. The world shook as the immense mass at the center of the royal capital had shifted. Viaysia Castle had activated and was beginning to move.
The castle atop the central hill of the royal capital was identical to the Viaysia Castle that had been re-created within the Dungeon. Perhaps because it was adorned with countless trees, it felt even larger than it actually was. Leaves spread all across the roof, while vines and creepers densely covered its walls. Furthermore, long roots extended from all over the structure, tangling and twisting to form four thick, pillar-like trunks resembling limbs.
From a distance, the four thick trunks made it look like a giant, distorted and misshapen, that was rising up. It was easy to imagine that many more trunks were growing within the castle itself. Those trunks were the bones, the vines and creepers, the blood vessels and nerves. At its core, the heart, Ide surely resided.
Truly, the castle had evolved into a being that could be called a giant. Myriad leaves rustled together, creating a sound like a sandstorm. Small birds, likely resting their wings within, chirped as they flew off into the clear blue sky. Even now, vines and creepers seemed to be growing, accompanied by sounds like snakes slithering.
Finally, the castle’s two legs stamped down on the earth, its thunderous roar echoing throughout the royal capital. Without hesitation, it trampled through the square in the middle of the road, crushing everything in its path. The next two steps continued to destroy the city. I figured it was carefully trying to choose where to step, but damage was unavoidable.
As it destroyed everything, the colossus, too immense to take in with a single look, drew nearer. With just three steps, Viaysia Castle, which should have been far, far away, arrived near the restaurant where we were. By this point, neither Titee, Snow, nor Rouge could remain casually seated. Everyone stood, ready for battle.
The sunlight was blocked by the enormous castle, and the restaurant was swallowed by shadows. Looking up at the structure now right beside us, I couldn’t see its peak because the thick limbs completely obscured its top. It was immense. It wasn’t just tall but wide too.
It was like a wall. It was no exaggeration to call this colossal monster, seemingly reaching for the heavens, an enemy now standing before us. Just as in the Second Dungeon town of Dahrill, the Pieris Aicia blooming on the castle served as its mouth.
“Apostle Sith, negotiations are over.”
It was Ide’s voice. The Thief of Wood’s Essence had come to rescue Sith, who had been attacked at the negotiating table. However, Sith, the one needing rescue, remained seated, unmoving.
Unable to bear watching any longer, Ide sighed deeply and spoke. “Please don’t cry, Your Apostolic Highness. That’s why I told you it’s better to stop.”
Sith raised her trembling face to protest. “I-I’m not crying...”
Indeed, she wasn’t. But her face looked like she might burst into tears at any moment. Being rejected by me must have truly shocked her. She began to spill out her inner feelings, bit by bit, to everyone present.
“But I believed that as friends, you would understand me... From the very first day we met, I felt it was destiny. I thought we were kindred spirits... That someday, absolutely someday, we would understand each other. I thought... That’s why...”
“Your relationship with Kanami the Founder was long ago. Give up. Even if he comes to know everything in the world, he will never again side with you.” Ide cut off Sith’s words.
Honestly, I felt the same. I doubted I’d ever understand her world-first, superhuman way of thinking even by the time I died.
“If you patiently kept explaining, you might eventually gain his approval. But right now, it’s wiser to stop. Kanami the Founder is about to seize your body.”
“I see... It seems that is the case.”
Had the castle delayed its movement by even one more second, the battle between Sith and me would have begun before my duel with Ide. Accepting this, Sith took a single deep breath, stopping the tremors in her body. And so, negotiations continued. However, with the overwhelming power of the castle now behind her, it was no longer a peace negotiation.
“My friend, Ide, agreed to what we discussed earlier. He said that if we can bring peace to the world alongside that queen over there, we can do whatever we want afterward. We established our cooperative relationship very easily.”
“Even after I clearly refused this, you still won’t give up on it?”
“Of course not. Because using you all is much faster. If you wish to refuse this offer, you’ll have no choice but to face me in a duel. Naturally, when that time comes, I’ll have Hitaki fighting alongside me, you know. After all, she and I have always been a pair.” Though she used elegant words, it ultimately boiled down to “fight if you don’t want to die.”
Peace talks collapsed, and tension between Sith and me escalated. The tea cups on the table had shattered from the earlier vibrations. The time for enjoying refreshments together was over.
“But Ide says he wants a one-on-one duel with you...so, how about we start with a showdown between the old and new rulers? That’ll be the quickest way.” Sith invited Titee to fight instead of me.
“Fine by me. I was planning to hold you down with Snow during the duel anyway,” Titee replied.
Sith’s proposal fell within the scope of our prearranged plan. While Ide and I fought, Titee and Snow would keep Sith and Hitaki down. It was one of the ideal scenarios.
“However, Apostle, before that, might I have a moment to speak with my brother?” Titee continued, faced with this ideal scenario. My head was nearly boiling over from the confrontation with Sith, but she remained calm. She hadn’t forgotten the most crucial part of our plan.
The most essential element in battling a Guardian was words. I believed persuasion through words was the most effective attack against one, and Titee had proven as much through her own experience.
“Sovereign Queen Lorde, talking now, of all times—”
“Listen, Ide!” Titee shouted, refusing to accept his attempt to reject an open dialogue. “I understand you hate Kanamin! From your perspective, Kanami the Founder was a sworn enemy who took everything from us a thousand years ago! I understand that! It’s pointless now to tell you that Kanamin isn’t bad!”
Whether swallowed by that powerful shout or moved by his brotherly nature, Ide fell silent and listened to Titee’s words. Surprisingly, Sith showed no sign of trying to interrupt the siblings’ conversation.
“But that doesn’t mean ending it with violence is right! Even a thousand years ago we weren’t that tyrannical! That should be the method you, who were chancellor, hate most!!!” Titee didn’t directly contradict Ide. She didn’t praise him like she had the other day; instead, she brought up his position as chancellor—the very thing he seemed fixated on. It was a very skillful, adult persuasion tactic. “Using that immense body and the power of an Essence Thief to duel and get your way, with the winner being the one who’s ‘correct’? That’s nothing but a childish quarrel! Is the chancellor you believe you are someone who engages in such childish fights?!”
“But... That...” Ide’s voice was hesitant.
In response, Titee spoke with the gentle kindness of an older sister. “Trying to force things through brute strength only makes matters worse. First, let’s talk about everything, from childhood to today. Whether we fight or discuss, we must first understand each other. If we honestly lay our hearts bare, sometimes that alone can resolve things, you know?”
A resolution born of airing out their innermost feelings. This likely referred to Chloe, who’d stopped Snow in the port town of Cork. Seeing two people bearing similar mental distortions come to understand each other, it was clear Titee wanted a similar outcome for herself.
I didn’t think it was impossible. The one standing here now wasn’t the Lorde from a thousand years ago. This was Titee, who’d suffered for a thousand years, traveled to the future, learned alongside me, and become just a little bit more grown-up. I believed we could bring about a different outcome than a thousand years ago.
“Relying on the power of an Essence Thief is a last resort. Otherwise, we’ll be swayed by that power and everyone will lose sight of what’s important. For instance, this town... If we fought with our true strength, it could vanish easily, couldn’t it? Hey, Ide, this city is wonderful. The moment I saw it, the smiles of its people came to mind. Truly, you’ve done a fine job.”
From within the castle-made-giant, I thought I heard a gasp. Ide was undoubtedly shaken by hearing praise for the city of Viaysia he himself had nurtured.
“Don’t you feel you want to protect this city? At least I, truly, from the bottom of my heart, don’t want to leave a single scratch on it, even if it’s deserted.”
“All right. If that’s what the Sovereign Queen Lorde commands, then let’s change the location. There’s a plain to the southeast. There, we won’t destroy anything and can fight to our hearts’ content.”
“The plain to the southeast... It’s near our childhood home. Indeed, it might be a fitting place to settle this.” She succeeded in getting him to agree to change the location without much fuss. But Titee wasn’t satisfied with just that. “But wait! I still haven’t finished talking with you! Seeing you face-to-face confirmed it, you, truly...”