CHAPTER 6 A Promise Between the Two In a certain place, in the cover of deep darkness… “…It’s finally begun.” The dark witch grinned. “Thus, a certain sorcerer who served the king turns his sword on the king he loved…” Pivoting on her heel to dance, she continued to smile. “Ruling over the people, the singular turning point makes the people into the people, rex quondam, rexque futuras, King Arthur… Chosen by the one to select the king and killed by the one who chose the king. The one cursed to play that role is that sorcerer—the plot of fate. Though he attempts to fight against it, though he follows through with all manners of events, at the end of the twists and turns, ultimately, he shall always end with the same finale.” Like a director whose coordinated production was going as planned on stage, she beamed. “Because she is killed by the sorcerer, the world is forever deprived of a king to rule the people. That is the script a certain old god penned… A curse. Now, now. A slow eternity has passed. The conclusion of the Grand Guignol performance is finally here. Please do enjoy yourselves.” — In the kitchen of Logres Manor, Emma lined up teacups on the table, polishing them clean. CRICK! “Oh…” Some teacups on the table cracked, even though they were undisturbed. They were Rintarou’s and Luna’s favorites. “…But…why…?” Emma inspected those cracked cups in a daze. With an uneasy expression, she looked out the window. “…Master… Luna…” As though to reflect what was inside her heart, the clouds outside the window gathered and seemed as though they might rain any minute now… — “You might not remember, but—” Luna’s long legs kicked off the ground as she stepped forward. Quick as an arrow, she charged straight at Rintarou. In a moment, she shortened the distance between them, feinting to the left twice and to the right once. She whipped her arm from one side to the other like a dragon’s tail, assaulting the top of Rintarou’s head. It was like lightning crawling along the ground had leaped toward the heavens. CLING! The metallic squeal was met with sparks. “…You demon!” Rintarou raised his swords and crossed them above his head to stop her blow. He violently swung a kick at her stomach in return. It should have destroyed her guts on contact, but it was instantly blocked by Luna’s left elbow. She was sent flying on impact. “That technique was from our seventh battle. When I lost my temper because I couldn’t win against you, it was my trump card,” Luna muttered after she had been hurled to the side. “…That takes me back. You did it the same way back then, Rintarou.” The only difference was that they had been playing as children back then. Now it was a battle to the death. As she was overcome by nostalgia, Luna grinned even in this situation. “Hyah!” She kicked off a tree and twisted her body to force herself back onto the ground. Then she went right into skidding her soles and left knee along the ground, trying to stifle her momentum. She quickly somersaulted backward, readied her sword again, and looked at Rintarou. “Huh?!” He wasn’t there. Rintarou was gone. As soon as Luna realized that… SHF, SHF, SHF, SHF! She heard something coming from the left where the conifer trees were packed together. Luna immediately reacted, turning her attention to the left. “—Gh!” From the shadow of an evergreen to the right of her, Rintarou lunged at Luna. He attacked like an assassin: swiftly, quickly, and silently. He had perfectly synced his distraction and attack. Luna couldn’t do anything. The two swords crossed her neck like scissors. But the blades cut through thin air. “Phew!” Luna just barely managed to evade them. A few sections of her blond locks had been shorn, strands floating in the air. Abandoning them, she tumbled forward. “Hyaaaaah!” Luna leaped up from the momentum, jumping back to a standing position… “Raaaaaaaaaaah!” Rintarou pursued her right at the same moment, closing the distance between them. BAAAM! When he whirled around like a tornado and tried to clip her with his swords, he crashed into her blade, which she readied with both hands. The impact sent her flying. Her back smacked into the base of a tree. “Right… You were always good at pinpointing my weaknesses…” For a moment, Luna smiled, even though she was short of breath. “…You’d throw a rock and distract someone or…launch a surprise attack from the shadows of the trees… Even though I kept telling you to stop since it was unfair, you never listened…” “What’re you mumbling about?!” He charged at Luna as she muttered against the tree trunk. Rintarou’s speed was already nothing short of mystical. His whole body was charged with his black Aura, and he loomed over her as he charged, trying to crush her. “Raaaaaaah!” Moving as fast as the wind, he swung his two swords at Luna. In an instant, he left behind countless afterimages of his flashing swords, tearing space into infinite pieces—a ferocious onslaught. Had she been a normal person, she would have been disassembled into four parts at her first breath and, in the next breath, into eight, then into sixteen in the next. She would have been cut into exponentially smaller pieces by the preternatural rotations of his blades. In response to that blender from hell… “Rintarou!” Luna let her blades dance through the air like his, cutting into him again and again and again and again and again! Every time she cut through the air, the impact of her sword would jerk her back, making her body lurch. When she would receive an attack, Luna was repelled back. Blade met blade. They were making enough shock waves to make the air ripple. Although she hadn’t been hit directly, her internal organs and brain were taking serious damage from the impacts. “Gah!” She vomited blood, but continued to parry again and again and again. She raised her sword, brought it back, cut again. “Gaaaaaaaaah!” Losing all semblance of sanity, he did not give her a shred of mercy or pardon. Intensifying his impact and speed, he attacked Luna—pursuing her with his infinite power boosts. The shock waves started to form a whirlpool, looking for a route of escape, blasting around the two to level the trees. “Guh!” Even as she was feeling hazy, Luna kept herself conscious through sheer willpower. “Th-that’s right… This is the scariest thing about you! You can get so reckless with your absurd abilities and quash everything! I’ve been frustrated so many times by you!” “Shut uuuuup!” He used all his strength to bring down his sword, trying to cut her off short. The pressure from the sword seemed enough to practically take the whole atmosphere with it… “HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” …But it missed Luna when she used all her strength to leap into the air. The destructive attack brushed by the soles of her shoes as she barely rose above it. From the corners of her eyes, Luna watched the extra momentum split the trees in half right to their roots, and she kicked off the pulverized branches to fly even higher into the air. She grabbed a branch from a tree near her with one hand and somersaulted to land on top of it. She looked down at Rintarou, sounding like she was enjoying herself. “This is your style, too. That takes me back… When I first saw it, I thought you were a monkey or something.” “Dammit…! You just keep moving around…!” Rintarou spat, livid, unlike her. “You demon…! I haven’t got a clue what you’ve been babbling about…! Why are you smiling like nothing’s wrong…?!” Luna checked her own condition. Well, she was in terrible shape. Though it hadn’t been long since they started their battle, she was already battered. Because she knew how Rintarou used a sword, she hadn’t sustained any direct damage. However, everything else had already brought Luna to death’s doorstep. In contrast, Rintarou was unscathed. Unlike her ragged panting, his breathing was practically silent. And his fighting style was overwhelmingly better. He was just too good. Though at first glance, it looked like he ignored proper sword fighting techniques and acted on instinct, his sword handling had a foundation that no ordinary person could compare to. This was Merlin’s sword. It was the sword of the one who had been exalted as the world’s strongest sorcerer and a peerless soldier. She couldn’t win. He had made Luna aware of that bitter truth. Yes, his sword protected me so many times up until now. I can’t believe how terrifying it is now that I’m up against him. She would be struck down by Rintarou’s own hand. She would probably die. The realization didn’t dawn on her through logic; she could feel it in her very soul. Her survival instincts screamed at her to stop. But regardless of that… “…Ha-ha-ha.” For some reason, Luna couldn’t hold back the laughter that spilled out of her. That’s right. As she was now… “Hey, demon! What’s supposed to be so funny?!” “Oh, sorry.” Luna jumped. She landed with a light thud on the ground and turned back to Rintarou. “…It’s just, I don’t know… It’s been fun.” “Huh?” Rintarou cocked his head to the side with deadpan eyes. “…It reminded me of the past. It’s been so long since I crossed swords with you… It’s kind of like we went back to those times…” Luna shrugged her battered shoulders. “Well, back then, you weren’t radiating cold murder like you are right now.” “Like I said, I’ve got no clue what you’ve been talking about…! I don’t know you…!” Scratching his head, he stared at Luna with eyes muddy with hatred. “…Stop, demon…! Stop smiling while mimicking my friend’s shape…! Don’t joke like you know me…! It’s sick…!” Then, Rintarou’s eyes glinted with madness as he started to walk toward Luna. It was like the march of an executioner about to carry out a death sentence. “I’m…going to save Nayuki…! I’m going to protect everyone…! I’m going…to make Luna king…! So…!” Rintarou raised his swords, kicked at the ground, and sprinted. “Shut up! You idiot!” Luna raised her sword and ran. The distance between them got dangerously short. “You know what, maybe Luna doesn’t actually want that!” she barked. Their swords bit into each other fiercely from close up. Over their crossed swords, they glared at each other. “The reason I want to become king…! Why I wanted to become king…! Was just—” “—Gh?!” “Rintarou! You can’t save Nayuki the way you are now! But I’m sure I can save her! So believe! Have faith in me! No, I’ll make you believe in me!” Luna earnestly yelled. “Huh?!” Then, the two of them stopped locking blades and leaped away from each other. “Shut up, demon!” “HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” They once again clashed, sword against sword. “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!” The mad cackle of a girl rang through the forest. “Guuuuh!” A woman groaned in agony. Both disappeared into the sound of a raging blizzard. “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Die! Perish!” When Dark Nayuki raised both her hands…ice lances rushed at Sir Kay like a meteor shower, plunging down on her head. It was a total surface attack. She couldn’t evade them. She could only strike them down. “Ngaaaaaah!” Sir Kay swung her sword over and over and over—breaking, blocking, striking the ice lances that closed in, ready to skewer her. They shattered like glass, tearing through her skin to rob warmth from her. However, she had evaded the fatal ones. All Sir Kay could do was keep hitting them down. “Ahhhhhhhhhh?!” Eventually… “Haaah…?! Haaaah…?! Wheeze!” Sir Kay was frostbitten—a mess of wounds. Her breathing was ragged as she used her sword in place of a cane. “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You’re so pathetic, Sir Kay! And you call yourself a knight of the Round Table?” Dark Nayuki seemed to enjoy herself, sauntering through the snow-laden forest. “It’s unexpected that you could surpass so many knights of the Round Table and fight your way to this point.” “…” “You really don’t seek anything from the Holy Grail, huh? That’s why you can receive its blessing and fight without being overwhelmed by it… That’s amazing in its own right.” “…” “But what does that mean for you as a knight?” Dark Nayuki smiled disdainfully at Sir Kay, who desperately focused on steadying her breath. “I mean, a knight is supposed to seek prestige and prize glory, right?” “…” “There’s no way you don’t want anything. I’m sure even you have something you want… I imagine you’ve given up, right? Since you’re so weak.” That had to be a trap. “Look, Sir Kay… Back in the legendary era, when King Arthur pulled Excalibur from the stone anvil…when your father Sir Ector asked, ‘Who pulled the sword from the stone?’ how did you reply? ‘Father, I pulled it. So there is no doubt that I am king of this land.’” Dark Nayuki lured her—cleverly. “You must have something. You seek prestige and glory… Just remember it… No need to pretend… You don’t need to deceive yourself…” Just as she had cunningly ensnared Rintarou. “‘Ask and ye shall receive’… The Holy Grail will make it come true… Now, Sir Kay…take my hand…and then the glory will be yours… It’s something you never gave up wishing for, but long ago gave up on… Isn’t that lovely…?” Her voice was incredibly terrifying. Sir Kay knew she had to be cautious. She knew it was dangerous. Dark Nayuki’s tone was sweet, wistful, and soft. If one got careless, it could slowly melt one’s vigilance, and the voice would slip through the gaps in one’s heart… Back in that era, this was why Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, Sir Palamedes, Sir Ywain, Sir Lionel, Sir Agravain, Sir Gaheris, Sir Tristan, Sir Brunor, Sir Mordred, Sir Gareth, Sir Hector de Maris, Sir Ironside, and Sir Pelleas—why all those proud, important knights—had not been able to obtain the Holy Grail. “…That’s odd,” Sir Kay answered, feeling calmer than she expected. “There is a certain charm to your words. But they don’t resonate with me, to the point it’s weird even to me.” “…Huh?!” Dark Nayuki blinked at her. “…Even back when my brother-in-law pulled that chosen sword out…all I could think was ‘I don’t want to burden my brother with the responsibility of being king.’ You know, I was dubious of my motivations and thought I was putting on airs, but…what a relief. I confirmed it from your words. There was no falsehood to my words. I’ve always been who I am from the start.” “…What? What are you…?” Dark Nayuki’s face immediately soured when Sir Kay looked so proud. “You’re like that person…” “Like who?” “That doesn’t concern you. I don’t want to even remember it. That vexing little snot! I’ve lured them many times in the past, but it was like I could never get through—to that knight who was so perfect they were like fiction!” Dark Nayuki clucked her tongue in annoyance. “You’ve got me… This seems like it would take time…just when the bastard child has graced us with his appearance, but…I need to lure him into killing the king… I shouldn’t be letting such an insignificant little knight get in my way…” “…Oh! What…did you just say?” Sir Kay set her sights on Dark Nayuki. “It is certainly true that the Holy Grail is something that would be difficult for an ordinary person to obtain. But…I doubt the sacred vessel that collected Christ’s blood could be so vile as to entrap people in this way… What in the world are you?!” Dark Nayuki replied with a bewitching smile. “Do you know of the four Érenn treasures?” “According to the Irish Lebor Gabála Érenn mythology, they were possessed by the clan of gods, the Danann… There was Nuada’s sword, Lugh’s spear, the stone of fate, Lia Fáil, and the Dagda’s cauldron…” “Yes, and when the Danann decided to leave the world to the humans, they had the Dame du Lac hand down those treasures on your realm. They changed name and form to become the Excalibur, the Lance of Longinus, the sacred stone—or rather the Round Table—and the Holy Grail.” “…?” “But there were those who objected to the Danann. They tweaked the Dagda’s cauldron—the Holy Grail—to accomplish a certain goal. That handiwork was…me, I suppose? Through Rintarou’s influence, I’ve gained this form.” “…What…in the world are you saying…?” “I suppose that’s enough teasing before I send you to your doom.” Suddenly, Dark Nayuki’s figure ballooned in size, darkening. A dense black Aura rose from her slim figure. Her body transformed. She was no longer in the form of a sweet girl. She was the incarnation of darkness itself. Sir Kay was already familiar with the identity of that dark power… “?! Th-that’s Fomorian Transformation?! Why can you use that?!” Sir Kay couldn’t hide her fear and agitation. “Wh-why do you have Rintarou’s power?!” “I’m not sure you’d call it his power. To be accurate, it’s my true form’s ability… All I’m doing is lending him a portion of it…” As that dark Aura coiled around her whole body, Dark Nayuki raised her hand. Black flames blazed to the heavens and enclosed the surrounding area in darkness, blotting out their surroundings. A giant eyeball cracked open in the sky. It looked down at Sir Kay as she gulped. “Eep.” “Hee-hee-hee, aren’t you lucky? If I had my true form…that would have killed you…” Sir Kay shuddered as Dark Nayuki—the evil presence that had turned into something else—started to smile, slowly walking toward her. “Now…this is it. Good-bye to the weakest knight of the Round Table…the knight who served no use… Heh-heh-heh…” The shadows, the darkness, the massive umbra coiled up and turned into a tsunami. Sir Kay swung her sword in resistance, but she was easily swallowed up by it. “Aaaaaaaaah!” Rintarou roared, swinging his sword. “Guh!” Luna barely received it with her readied blade, but…her knee was starting to buckle under the transcendental pressure from Rintarou’s weapons. “Gwah!” She didn’t even have time to spit out the blood that slowly collected in her mouth. “Take thaaaaaaaaaaat!” Like a sudden thunderstorm, Rintarou’s swords came down on her. “Guh?!” Luna leaped to the side and evaded them. Several of the attacks grazed Luna and cut through her fair skin. FLSHT! Blood streaked through the air. BAM! Luna leaned back, letting the large tree behind her prop her up. “How could you disfigure a damsel…? You better take responsibility for this.” Rintarou didn’t listen to her retort and charged the black lightning that tore through the sky in the tip of his raised sword. He unleashed its energy at Luna. “Excuse you…I’m not that great at magic…,” she complained, blurting out magic words and developing a barrier in front of her eyes with her Aura. It blocked the lightning that approached, ripping the atmosphere to shreds. Thunder clapped. She heard an impact and a blast. The large tree behind her turned to carbon, blown to bits. At the center of the explosion where the flickering black light and fumes lingered… “Guh.” …was Luna, who had crossed her arm and sword in the shape of an X and narrowly powered through it. However, her body was already battered, which meant she was effectively a corpse. Even now, the slight amounts of black lightning creeping around her body were eating away at her. Half her body was paralyzed. She didn’t have sensation in those parts anymore. “You’re still holding on, demon…?! I was trying to erase you from existence!” Facing her was Rintarou, glaring at Luna with maddened eyes as he approached her…one step at a time. The outcome of the fight had already been decided. Luna was already driven into a corner. …He’s strong. Rintarou is too strong… He isn’t someone I could win against… I knew that…since he’s always been amazing. With labored breath, she tried to calm her pounding heart a little as she let her mind race through her memories. But… “Pfft! Shut up! Who would follow someone as weak as you?!” “If you wanna make me your underling, you’ve got to do it after winning against me!” “I have to win at least once…! Or I won’t have any qualifications to make you my vassal!” She used the back of her hand to rub away the blood at the corner of her mouth. She cleared away her paralysis with her spirit and readied her sword once again. “Huh?!” Was she seriously thinking about challenging him again? Rintarou’s expression said it all. He stopped walking. “…Why? Why are you holding out to this point? You’re just a demon…” “I…” Luna suddenly let her lips curl. “…I already told you. It’s because I want to prove it to you! Duh! …I need you to know I’m fit to be your king.” “…What…does that mean…? I don’t get it…” Luna continued to talk. “Hey, Rintarou. Don’t serve the Holy Grail. The one you should be serving is right here. I’ll prove that to you right now. I can save the people who are important to you, too. I’ll protect them for you… So don’t believe in the Holy Grail… Believe in me.” Luna gripped the hawthorn cross that hung from her neck and desperately appealed to him. “Until you recognize me as your king…I’ll face you—even if it’s a million times…! I’ll keep going until I win! So…! “—Next time, I’ll win! I definitely will! Even if I don’t, I’ll fight you no matter how many times I need to until I win! I’ll do it until you recognize me! So—” “…Huh?!” Rintarou clutched his throbbing head. In front of his eyes, Luna had been overlaid with someone from a nostalgic memory lurking in the deep recesses of his mind. For a moment, the glint of madness and hatred in Rintarou’s eyes dulled. “…Rintarou?” “…Wow… There used to be somebody who told me the same thing and kept coming at me even though she never won…I think…” “!” “I don’t know…when…or where…or who that was…?” He writhed in pain. “…That’s stupid. Why am I thinking about it now? I need to beat this demon…! This isn’t the right moment to be thinking of other things…! But… I feel like…it was kind of…important…?” Luna saw hope in Rintarou’s reaction. This could work… It just might! Rintarou hasn’t been completely absorbed by the Holy Grail! I can pull him back to reality! If I keep going like this…! Luna squeezed out the last of her strength and tried to focus her energy into the hand gripping her sword. “You can’t do that, Rintarou.” Concentrated darkness and frost approached from the scorched back of the forest. “You can’t listen to that demon’s cajolery… All you need to think about is getting the Holy Grail… With it, you can get anything you wish for.” Dark Nayuki had appeared in front of the two of them. B-but…why is she here?! This was bad. Things were not looking good. Dark Nayuki’s words were like narcotics to Rintarou when he wasn’t in his right mind. If that thing was around, Luna couldn’t bring Rintarou back to his senses. What is that anyway? What is that repulsive thing…?! Shadows stretched behind the cryptic figure. Nothing existed beyond her. Dark Nayuki eroded the world as though she was darkness itself. Then, Luna realized something. “Wait… Where’s Sir Kay…? Where did Sir Kay go…?!” Luna shrieked, failing to disguise her panic. Dark Nayuki told Luna cruelly, smiling slightly, “…Her? Hee-hee. She was absorbed. She’s nowhere now.” “…Ngh?!” “For starters, why would you assign that unredeemable knight to deal with me? You can be so cruel with your orders…” Then, without any footsteps, the concentrated darkness sidled up to Rintarou… “Now, Rintarou, all you have to do is finish off that demon… The Holy Grail is right there… It’s so close… Everything you wished for is in your grasp…” “…Ugh…Nayuki…I—I…” Rintarou’s eyes, which had been in the process of regaining some of their sanity, once again went dull. They were soaked with the tainted color of darkness and chaos… “Right…I…I…” “Rintarou…?! Don’t let her trick you! Hold it together!” “I don’t…want to…be alone anymore…so…I’ll take the Holy Grail…I’ll…” Luna’s pleas were in vain. “I—I—I—I—I?!” Rintarou started his final charge toward Luna. …Guh…?! I…can’t move…! When she realized it, the darkness had spread through the world. At some point, it encroached on her body. Her limbs had been caught by the shadows. She couldn’t move them at all. Luna was at her limit. Because they were deep in a netherworld, her spirit surpassed her physical body. As long as her heart didn’t waver, her body was immortal. However, even accounting for all of that, Luna was well past her limit. Time stretched infinitely after she had been pushed to her spiritual extremes. Luna could barely stand by using her sword in place of a cane. Even as she was faced with Rintarou’s crawling approach, she couldn’t move an inch. …I’m going to die. ……I’m going to be killed. I can’t win. I’m going to be killed by Rintarou? Was I not enough? She had become despondent, nihilistic. Was I not fit to be Rintarou’s king? Or did I not have the capacity to be king…to begin with…? Rintarou approached. That’s not true…! That’s impossible! I haven’t lost yet! I haven’t lost! But…! Luna couldn’t move. Even if her heart didn’t bend, her body was immobile—she couldn’t lift a finger. “RAAAAAAAAH!” “Rin…tarou!” His swords mercilessly came down on her head. — A sharp pain. It shot up her right palm. She felt lukewarm blood dripping from her hand. Only that kept Sir Kay’s consciousness grounded as she melted into the gloom. She was in the dark, deep and dense. She had nothing to rely on. Even her five senses served no use. She was in a space of nothingness. Feeling her own body steadily become one with the void, Sir Kay could only weep about her regrets. “…I’m sorry…I’m sorry, Luna…I…couldn’t protect you…” Her body had already half gone. The pain from her wound barely kept her tethered to her sense of self…and she was close to her limit. Sir Kay couldn’t do anything anymore. “…Is it no use? I have nothing… I can’t do anything… I want to protect the people who are important to me… I want to see where they end up…but was it beyond me to even wish for that?” Her laments vanished into the crushing darkness. “I seek nothing, so I couldn’t obtain power… It’s no wonder I can’t do anything…so I really am a failure as a knight…? What in the world…am I here for…?” Sir Kay’s existence was slowly being crushed. “Is that true? I think it’s fine to have a knight like you around.” A voice had made it to Sir Kay’s ears as she was melting into the darkness. It was a girl’s voice. It was a voice she remembered hearing recently. Well…it was a voice she had heard far in the past, too. Sir Kay looked around. Of course, it was all just the abyss, and no one was around. “It’s true that knights prize prestige and seek glory. They accomplish deeds for the sake of their kings, rewarded with the love of ladies. For those purposes, they polish their fighting skills and risk their lives going on hunts… Nothing could make a knight prouder. That was the way all knights should have been in the legendary era.” She could only hear that voice. It seemed to flood directly into her mind. “Is that the only way a knight can be? Can’t a knight just protect the ones they love without seeking anything…? Isn’t that another role they can serve? …I think so.” That voice…was one she had encountered many times. It belonged to the mysterious cloaked girl. “…Why are you here now…? Who are you…?” Sir Kay asked. “…It’s so nice seeing you again, Sir Kay,” a slightly mischievous voice said to her. “Do you not remember me? …When I joined the Round Table, you gave me the special treatment.” “…Huh?” “When I sought to join the Round Table, you came right up to me, right? You said, ‘I’ll test whether this stranger is fitting for the Round Table…’ In the end, I beat you to a pulp right in front of everyone… Good times…” “Whaaaat?!” “You know, I look up to you. When all the other knights didn’t make a move because they were too afraid of the power of a newcomer like me and losing their prestige…you were the only one thinking of protecting King Arthur. That’s why you didn’t even fear making a fool of yourself in front of everyone and challenged me… Right?” “Th-that was…” “Because of the way you are…I think that’s certainly why I was able to contact you like this at the eleventh hour… I mean, you and I are birds of a feather.” “……You couldn’t be…?” There was one person she could think the owner of the voice could be. Someone who had been so silent during that time that Sir Kay could count the number of times she had heard this voice. Because of that, she hadn’t made the connection…but now she finally pieced it together. “…I’m very happy that a knight like you has acknowledged my way of being. But it’s no good… I didn’t have the power to protect anyone the way you do.” “…That may be true. People in this world are each born with their own roles. I’m sure you weren’t born to fight.” “I knew that. But I…,” Sir Kay muttered as though she was lamenting. “‘Ask and ye shall receive,’” said the voice. “…Huh?” “By that, I don’t mean you should be honest about your worldly desires. The most noble of hearts is one that doesn’t succumb to fear, one that disregards fate and born power—all to carry out what is to be done. God lends a hand to those with that strength. In that regard, you are that strong. You were not disheartened by your own weakness and continued to walk the path you decided you must… You’ve earned that right.” Suddenly, something gleamed in front of Sir Kay’s eyes. It was a boorish and completely ordinary sword complete with a sheath. The blade was surprisingly normal. …But she had seen it somewhere before. “This is the very sword I used.” “It couldn’t be…” “The ‘sword of the most virtuous knight.’ That’s what it was called.” “—Gh?!” “Genesis 3:24. ‘So God drove man out and left a cherubim and a flaming sword tracing a ring on the east side of the Garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life…’ This blade ultimately is no sword. It is a ‘sword ill-befit of being one’ that was made to protect something. I give this to you.” “…This is the ‘sword of the most virtuous knight’…? That blade that can only be drawn from the sheath and used by the chosen one…?” In the past, Sir Balin had managed to do it. Because he had used the sword for his own purposes, he had been cursed, fell to his ruin, and met a wretched end. After that, no one on the Round Table had been able to recreate his actions. With the exception of the Round Table’s thirteenth seat—the female knight in the perilous seat. “But…I can’t use something like that. It’s beyond me…” “No, I believe you should be able to use it.” The voice seemed certain. “Sir Kay…please protect the king…the true king you serve… Right now, they’re trying to lock the world in darkness. Since the distant past, they have set their steady sights on the human world. A line of ancient evil gods created a destiny where the planet will be destroyed… At present, they seek to fulfill their ambitions, trying to absorb this world.” “But…what do you mean by that, Sir Galahad?!” But the voice did not answer her, drifting farther and farther away. “To defeat them, you require the true king…and the bastard child of the devil—the sorcerer… Though it is a fine road, fine as silk… Our hope for salvation has not been dashed. So…please, Sir Kay…watch over their future…and please…protect them…” Before she could respond, the voice completely disappeared. To be honest, Sir Kay had no clue what the owner of the voice—Sir Galahad—was saying. She could not possibly decipher what the knight had been asking of her. At least I know what I need to do! Sir Kay didn’t hesitate as she reached her hand out to the sheathed sword floating in front of her eyes. If one was to use this sword without qualification, the blade would lead the wielder to tragic ruin. That had happened to Sir Balin. Even a hero hadn’t been able to avoid the curse. I cannot fathom that I would be qualified…but regardless! She grabbed the sword’s hilt. “I’m not scared! If it is for Luna…and Rintarou’s sake! I am not afraid of the destruction that will eventually come down upon me!” She pulled that sword from its sheath in one clean movement. It really was a normal, unrefined sword with nothing out of the ordinary about it. Of course it would be. It was ill fit to be a sword. Obviously, there would be nothing out of the ordinary about it as a weapon. As soon as she unsheathed it, a certain name bubbled up in her mind. Sir Kay chuckled at it unconsciously. She had been wondering what kind of fine name the sword might have… She realized the name itself had no ingenuity behind it. In the darkness that could almost erase her existence, Sir Kay held the sword in both her hands and yelled its name as she swung it down. “Lahat Chereb—the Flaming Sword!” — Suddenly, the concentrated darkness that had swallowed up and dropped down on Luna and Rintarou…was torn open, accompanied by a crimson gleam and a whirlwind of blazes. “Gaaaaah!” Dark Nayuki let out a bloodcurdling screech. “Luuuuuna!” A knight wielding a blazing sword jumped out from charred darkness. “Sir Kay?!” “Hyaaaaaah!” Swooping down from the sky, she swung Lahat Chereb. The crimson flame that swirled from the sword burned away the darkness that bound Luna. “Gaaaah?! Th-that sword…?! How?! How would the weakest knight of the Round Table have the sword of the most virtuous knight?! Impossible…! Aaaah!” The holy flame that rose from Lahat Chereb cleansed the world from the gloom. “Luna! Do it now!” As she landed, Sir Kay pierced Lahat Chereb into the ground. The flame that swirled around radiated along the ground, surrounding Luna and Rintarou. The darkness that attempted to encroach on them was cut off by the gleaming lines of fire. “Wh-what happened to you, Sir Kay?! Where did you get that ability…?!” “Luna! Unfortunately, Lahat Chereb doesn’t have the ability to attack! It can only show its power when it’s protecting something! Because of that, this is all I can do!” “—Gh?!” Luna turned around. Rintarou was there. “Guh?!” It might have been because the power of the darkness that had been leading Rintarou astray had been temporarily weakened, but…he was holding his head and backing away. If she was going to take him back from the Holy Grail, now was the time. “Rintaroooooooou!” From within the sacred flame, Luna squeezed out her last bit of strength and charged at him. At that moment, a voice came down between them. —It’s no use… Now is the time for the King Arthur killer’s fate to be fulfilled. —The time has come now. Kill her. —Get her! Kill her! Slaughter her! —Kill heeeeeeeer! “I’ll kill youuuuuu!” Goaded by something’s will, Rintarou rushed at her. “Hyaaaaaaaah!” “Gaaaack!” There wasn’t much difference between them now. “Aaaaaaaaah!” But Rintarou was faster. Luna was one beat too slow. At this rate, his attack would land just a second sooner than hers. “Aaaaaaaah!” Rintarou drew his two swords behind him. It was almost like a flash of light surged out as he thrust both swords. The tips of the swords pointed toward Luna—flying right at her heart from both sides. It would be over. Rintarou’s swords would tear Luna’s heart to shreds and everything would be over. “Luuuunaaaa!” It seemed that way. Rintarou’s swords, which were driven forward by his desire to kill, stopped just short of stabbing through Luna’s chest. “…That’s…?” The tips of the swords pointed at the worn hawthorn cross hanging from Luna’s neck. The charm was glowing. That light pricked something inside Rintarou. As though he had come to his senses after seeing the fire, a light faintly returned to his eyes. “I’ve…seen that…somewhere before…?” At that moment, his memories returned.
Chapter 58
31 min read