Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? (LN) - Volume 11 - Chapter 12

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JULIUS, AGE 21: FAMILY

“Welcome home, big brother.”

I’m back in the royal castle for the first time in ages.

There, I find my half brother Leston, the third prince and son of the king’s second concubine.

The king’s wife, the true queen, holds the most influence, followed by the first and second concubines. My mother was the third concubine, so she had the lowest position of them.

If I weren’t the hero, I might have even been in a lower position than Leston.

It’s a strange thing to think about.

“Thank you. Here, a souvenir.”

“Ooh. Thank you! Is this a magic sword from the empire?!”

Leston gazes happily at the sword I handed him.

It’s a magic sword imbued with the power of fire, similar to the one I borrowed from my master once.

Magic swords are valuable as it is, but this one also has a unique origin, so it wouldn’t be sold on the open market.

However, rumors have spread about them, since high-ranking empire officials are often seen carrying them.

Rumors say that the empire has succeeded in mass-producing magic swords.

I asked Master about it when I last saw him, but he artfully dodged the subject, so I don’t know the truth.

But since I was able to acquire magic swords like this as a result, I can’t really complain.

“But are you sure it’s okay to give me something like this?”

“It’s fine. I actually have a few more of the same kind.”

I still have several other magic swords. I’d joked to Master that I wanted one, and he promptly responded, “Well, I’m not using ’em,” and gave me no less than ten.

Master can be surprisingly generous.

“Well, they come from a somewhat unfortunate source,” he said at the time. “But they’re still fine weapons.”

I don’t know what he meant, but there must be some strange story behind them, because Master seemed awfully eager to be rid of them.

That must be why he gave me such valuable items so readily, even though you could easily make a fortune by selling even one.

I gave Hyrince an incredibly sturdy one that can recover from damage on its own, though it doesn’t have any special offensive effects.

Jeskan got a broadsword with a special flame effect.

For Hawkin, there was a short sword with lightning and paralyzing effects.

And for myself, I chose a sword that, like Hyrince’s, doesn’t have any special attacks but conducts magic exceptionally easily and is helpful for support while using spells.

Unfortunately, there weren’t any weapons well suited to Yaana, but our fighting strength increased dramatically with all these new weapons.

I wasn’t sure what to do with the remaining six swords, but I decided to give five of them to my family members: Father, Cylis, Leston, Shun, and Sue.

I already gave Father and Cylis theirs.

Father seemed happy, but my elder brother’s expression looked dour.

It seems like we’re doomed to keep growing further apart.

I want to do something about it, but since I’m away from home so frequently, we don’t have many chances to interact. I think my only choice is to keep trying to get him to open up little by little over time.

We were relatively close when we were kids, so I’m sure we can learn to understand each other again.

As for Shun and Sue, I decided to wait to give them theirs until they graduate from the academy.

If they get accustomed to having such strong weapons this early, they could grow overly dependent on them. Knowing those two, I doubt that would happen, but I prefer to be on the safe side.

Besides, they’ll make good graduation gifts.

…I’m not just hesitant to give the swords to them because I might not be able to beat them in a sparring match anymore, all right?

Really. I swear.

“Come to think of it, Mr. Potimas mentioned something about holy swords, not magic swords.”

“Holy swords?”

Most swords with special effects and properties are called magic swords, but those with the power of light are called holy swords. They’re considered special, even compared to other magic weapons.

“Something about a special holy sword that’s been in the royal family here for generations. I’ve never heard anything about it, have you?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Father or my elder brother might know something, though.

It could be a secret that’s known only to the king.

But then why would an outsider like Potimas know about it?

Mr. Potimas is an elf who’s staying here in our kingdom as an ambassador of the elves.

I’ve never actually seen him for myself, but Leston seems to be developing a friendship with him.

Mr. Potimas’s daughter goes to the same academy as Shun and Sue, and I’m told they’re good friends.

The elves are a race that extolls world peace and often devotes themselves to charitable causes.

For some reason, though, they don’t work with the Church of the Word of God, and since I technically am part of the Church, I never really interact with them.

Although, since their goals seem to align with mine, I’d like to get to know them if I can.

Leston has apparently been investing in and even directly helping the elves with their activities.

“Where did Mr. Potimas hear about that?”

“Who knows? Elves live a really long time, though, so maybe it’s just an old legend.”

It could be that our ancestors used to pass down a holy sword long ago, but it’s since been lost, or something like that.

“Or he might’ve believed a false rumor.”

People often make up stories about the royal family, frequently suggesting that they have a vast hidden treasury or something of the like.

Most of those rumors are fake, so it could be that Mr. Potimas heard some such misinformation.

“Although it was really specific, so I’m not quite sure.”

“Oh? How so?”

“You know how there are those stairs in the castle that go down but don’t lead anywhere? There’s been chatter about how if a worthy person goes down there, a door will open or something. Those stairs really are mysterious, so it’d be kinda cool if it was true, huh?”

Leston is right: There certainly is a mysterious staircase in the castle.

It goes downward but only leads to a wall.

There’s no hidden room or anything, so it’s a mystery why those stairs exist.

In that way, it’s definitely the kind of thing that rumormongers would love to spread stories about, but most people don’t even know it exists.

Because the only way to get to the mysterious staircase is through the royal family’s private quarters.

And of course, most people wouldn’t approach a staircase that doesn’t go anywhere.

Even the servants who are allowed in the private chambers rarely set foot near the steps, so most people don’t know they exist at all.

The only people who know are mostly royalty, and it’s rarely discussed, since nothing is known about it.

I had forgotten they existed at all until this conversation.

“But it’s probably false, ’cause I didn’t find anything there.”

“So you went?”

“I mean, how could I resist?”

So Leston went to the stairs after hearing this story, but he didn’t find anything.

“Oh, I know! Since you’re here, you should try it, too!”

Leston claps his hands together once, like he’s hit on a brilliant idea.

“You’re royalty and a hero. Who could be more worthy than you?!”

“Yeah, right. That’s so unrealistic.”

“What’s wrong with being a little unrealistic? You’re free right now, aren’t you? Come on—humor me for a bit!”

“All right.”

Leston doesn’t seem willing to take no for an answer, so I decide to give in without a fight.

Since I see my half brother so rarely, there’s no harm in going along with his request.

“Great! Let’s head there right now, then!”

“Okay, okay.”

Leston bounces out of the room, and I follow him with a wan smile.

We walk through the royal family’s private chambers and reach the staircase within.

Leston starts down the stairs into the darkness without hesitation.

“Come on! Hurry!”

“I’m right behind you.”

I can’t help smiling at Leston’s somewhat childish behavior for his age.

He’s actually a lot sharper than he might seem, but he puts on a clownish act to avoid drawing the true queen’s eye so she won’t consider him a potential threat to his older brother’s position.

…Although I don’t think all of it is an act.

He’s smart, but he also has an irrepressible childlike curiosity.

I use magic to light the way as I follow Leston down the long stairway.

When I was a child, I explored around here with my elder brother, too.

We were so sure that we would discover a hidden door or something of the sort.

In the end, of course, we found no such thing, but it’s a fond memory now that my brother’s grown so distant.

As I reminisce, we reach the bottom of the stairs.

It’s a dead end, with nothing there but a wall.

“Come on, big brother!”

Leston prompts me to step up to the wall.

Nothing’s going to happen, you know…

Or so I thought.

“Huh?!”

The wall that was there just seconds before disappears like it was a mirage.

And instead, there’s a small room up ahead.

“Huh? For real?”

Leston is as surprised as I am.

As a child, I didn’t find anything when I searched around down here for a hidden door.

My father chuckled afterward and told me, “I did the same thing when I was your age. Boy, was I ever disappointed when I didn’t find anything.”

If what he said then was true, then he doesn’t know about this room, either.

“Th-this is huge!”

Leston’s voice trembles with excitement.

But I’m already focused on the object enshrined in the center of the small room.

It’s a sword.

A sheathed sword, standing on a pedestal.

“Is that the holy sword?”

“It must be!”

Leston starts to dash toward it.

“Ah! Wait!” I grab his hand and pull him back.

“Come on—what’s the matter?!”

“Something’s there.”

Ignoring Leston’s protests, I keep my gaze fixed on the pedestal.

“Oh-ho?”

Behind the pedestal is a gorgeous sculpture of a white dragon.

It’s small, about the same height as the sword.

And right now, it’s starting to move.

“A child, eh? Thou comest here knowing nothing of this place. But it appears thou art worthy.”

It’s not a statue!

It’s a tiny white dragon.

But in spite of its small size, it has an aura of immense power.

Like the phoenix I once saw—no, even stronger!

It might even be on par with the infamous Nightmare of the Labyrinth.

But since it’s speaking to me in my language through Telepathy, that means we can communicate. And it doesn’t seem like it’s about to attack us.

Hopefully we can resolve things by talking to each other.

“Who are you?”

“I am the light dragon Byaku, guardian of the Sword of the Hero.”

“The Sword of the Hero?”

“Indeed.” The dragon called Byaku nods sagely. “Hero, thou hast the right to wield this sword. What shall thou doest?”

“I’m not sure how to answer that…”

I don’t even know what kind of weapon this so-called Sword of the Hero is.

In fact, I’m still not really sure what’s going on here.

“If the hero wields it, it has the capacity to cut down even a god in one strike, but it can only be used once. What would you cut with this sword?”

“…It can really cut anything?”

“Verily.”

“Even a legendary-class monster?”

“With ease,” the dragon confirms. “Even I would be powerless before this sword.”

I don’t know how powerful Byaku the light dragon is, but I can tell that I wouldn’t stand a chance of winning if I challenged it to battle.

But it says that this sword could easily defeat it.

If that’s true, how absurdly powerful must that sword be?

For a moment, the image of a white spider flashes across my mind.

If I had this sword, could I defeat even the Nightmare of the Labyrinth?

“No.”

I shake away the thought.

The Nightmare of the Labyrinth hasn’t appeared since that day, so there’s no point thinking about it now.

I can’t bring the victims of the Nightmare back to life.

“What would you cut? Or whom?”

“Nothing. And no one.”

I know my answer.

I won’t use this sword to cut anyone or anything.

“This sword can only be used once, right?”

“Indeed.”

“Then I won’t rely on it for anything.”

“Oh-ho?”

The light dragon Byaku looks at me with great interest.

“There is little peace to be gained by cutting down one thing or one person. And I don’t think it would be worth the cost.”

For instance, what if I used it to cut down an evil king?

With the tyrant overthrown, perhaps the nation would know peace.

But not for long.

All manner of other trials would await that nation afterward.

They would need a new leader, or leaders, to take over the government.

They would need retainers to support these leaders.

And they would need citizens to support the government.

Even if the king was cut down, true peace could be obtained only through the hard work of the people left alive. And even then, given enough time, a similar king might appear.

But this time, there would be no sword.

So what would be the point?

“There’s no point unless I accomplish things with my own hands and continue to uphold those accomplishments.”

“Even if wielding this sword might save your life one day?”

“I won’t deny that.”

I can’t help wondering what would have happened if I’d had this sword when I encountered the Nightmare of the Labyrinth.

But I still don’t think that all the unhappiness in this world can be solved with a single wave of some magic sword.

“I am weak; I know.”

I’m painfully aware of that fact.

“But I have friends who support me. So I can keep fighting, even if I am weak. There have been many times when I wished I was stronger. But true strength doesn’t come from depending on a weapon that can only be used once.”

I put a hand on my scarf.

I think what I really need is the strength to keep on fighting.

There is so much injustice in the world.

But I want to be strong enough to keep on fighting and chasing my ideals, no matter what.

So I don’t need this destructive power.

“I see, I see. How admirable!”

Suddenly, Byaku emits a flash of light.

I close my eyes automatically, and when I open them again, the light dragon is nowhere to be found.

“Where did you go?”

“I am right here.”

I look toward the source of the Telepathy, but nothing is there.

Nothing except the sword on the pedestal.

“I’ve merged with the sword. Take it with you.”

“What? Um, weren’t you listening to me?”

I’m pretty sure I just said I don’t need it…

“I was indeed. That is why you must take it. You are the one who most deserves this sword.”

“Erm…”

Oh dear.

“I shall seal the power of the sword and enter a deep slumber. If you should ever need my power, and the power of the sword, simply call upon me.”

Does that mean I have to take the sword with me now?

I guess I don’t have a choice, since I’m a little scared of refusing.

“A man such as you might even be able to save a god instead.”

With that, the telepathic connection abruptly cuts off.

I hesitate for a moment but end up taking the sword with me.

It doesn’t look like it has the unspeakable power Byaku described, though perhaps that’s just because it’s sealed.

“Whoa. That was amazing, big brother!”

Leston, who watched these events unfold in silence, suddenly crows triumphantly.

“Leston, you mustn’t tell anyone else about this.”

I hate to detract from his excitement, but this is very serious, so I have to sternly warn him.

A holy sword that has the single-use power to defeat even a legendary-class monster?

If people knew I had such a thing, it would cause an unnecessary uproar.

“All right. I swear on the gods that I won’t tell a soul.”

Leston grows serious, apparently realizing the same thing, and solemnly agrees.

“Okay. Let’s go back, shall we?”

We leave the room and head back up the stairs.

As soon as we exit, the area where the sword was kept turns back into an ordinary wall.

The next day, that same sword is hanging at my waist.

The light dragon Byaku hasn’t tried to communicate with me via Telepathy again. I haven’t even sensed its presence, to the point where I wonder if it really merged into the sword at all.

And the sword itself seems like an ordinary sword, without a hint of special powers.

But the fear that I might accidentally unleash its real power somehow prevents me from wielding it, so I still plan to use my regular magic sword.

That means I’m carrying two swords at all times, but I don’t think I have much of a choice.

“You gonna learn two-sword style or what?”

Hyrince greets me as we meet up in the castle.

“It’s just a spare. I thought I should start carrying one, like Jeskan.”

“Oh, gotcha.”

Hyrince accepts my excuse, since Jeskan really does carry around multiple weapons all the time.

“We’re going to the academy today, right?”

“Yeah.”

The demons have finally started to make unusual movements, so the plan is to head to the empire. I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back.

In the worst-case scenario, if the war with the demons starts, I might not even make it back at all…

So I want to spend time with my family before I go.

My exchange with Leston yesterday was part of that plan.

Today, I’m going to the academy to meet up with Shun and Sue.

As Hyrince and I walk through the castle, a man approaches us.

He has pointed ears—an elf.

There’s only one elf in this kingdom who can enter the castle. This must be Mr. Potimas, the one who’s been spending time with Leston.

“Hrm?”

Mr. Potimas stops in front of us and looks at me appraisingly.

His gaze pauses on the holy sword at my waist, then shifts to Hyrince next to me.

“…Hmm. Well, no matter.”

Without any further comment, he passes by us and keeps walking.

“…What’s up with the attitude?” Hyrince grumbles, watching him go.

Considering that I’m a member of the royal family, he certainly didn’t show proper manners.

But I’m hardly one to talk in that department, because I was glaring at him the whole time.

I’m not exactly sure why I took that attitude toward him myself.

For some reason, though, I felt instinctively that he was no friend of mine.

“We should advise Leston and my father to rethink their involvement with that man.”

“Uh, sure.”

Hyrince seems bewildered by my harsh reaction, since I’m not normally one to concern myself with how other people treat me.

I’m still unsure where these intense feelings are coming from, too.

But that man is definitely bad news.

Of that I have no doubt.

“Hyrince.”

“What’s up?”

“If…if I ever die and you survive, I want you to give this sword to Leston.”

Again, I don’t know what’s compelling me to say this, but I feel like I have to.

“Whoa, don’t say stuff like that.”

“I know. I don’t intend to die before you, of course. I just felt like I ought to tell you.”

“Don’t worry. I told you I’m not gonna let you die before I do, remember? So I can’t help you with that sword thing.”

“Right. Of course.”

Maybe my thoughts just turned dark because of the mysteriously ominous sense I felt from that man.

We arrive at the academy and wait for Shun and Sue in the visiting room.

Before long, Shun bursts through the door excitedly.

“Brother!”

Sue follows him in and quietly closes the door behind them.

Something about her behavior seems strange to me.

Sue has always been the quiet type except when Shun is involved, but was she always this intensely silent, as if she’s holding her breath?

“Shun, Sue, good to see you.”

“It’s great to see you, too!”

“Mm.”

Shun responds happily to my greeting, while Sue’s response is short.

“Nice to see you again, too, Mr. Hyrince.”

“Yeah, you too. You’ve grown a bunch again since last time I saw you.”

After exchanging greetings with Shun, Hyrince steps back, as if to relinquish the spotlight to me.

“Have you been doing all right?”

“Yes.”

Already, Shun’s weathered assassination attempts and even a wyrm attack at his school.

When I heard about that, I was so worried that I could barely stand it, but apparently, he’s happily enjoying his school life now.

“And you, Sue?”

“Mm.”

I try conversing with Sue, too, but she isn’t giving any real responses.

“Sue, are you feeling under the weather?”

“Mm-mm.” Sue shakes her head, but she’s obviously acting strange. “I’m fine.”

“…If anything’s bothering you, you can tell me, okay?”

“Mm.”

Sue nods, looking almost on the verge of tears.

“Shun, make sure you’re looking after her, all right?”

“Yes, of course.”

Shun nods obediently, as if he has some concerns about Sue’s behavior, too.

“I want to help, but I have to go to the empire soon. So you’ll have to take good care of each other.”

“The empire…because of the demons?”

Evidently, word about the demons’ strange activities has even reached the academy.

“Yeah. So I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back next.”

“I’m sure you have nothing to worry about, big brother, but please be careful.”

Shun looks at me with such complete faith that I’m a little embarrassed.

I’m not as strong as he thinks I am…

“Do you really have to fight the demons?” Shun’s face clouds. “Why do they want a war so badly? I don’t understand it.”

“Good question.”

I don’t want to fight, either.

Shun is so strong and talented that people call him a prodigy, but he’s still grown up as a kind boy who’s averse to fighting.

It’s my hope that he’ll live his life without ever having to put his strength to use, but I know how difficult that would be, too.

“I don’t know why the demons insist on starting a war, either.”

In the back of my mind, I remember the female demon shouting that they have no choice but to obey the Demon Lord.

The demons have their reasons for fighting, too.

“But if they intend to threaten our peaceful lives, we have no choice but to oppose them.”

Either way, we need to fight.

“It’d be ideal if we could settle things without fighting. If it was possible to make peace with the demons, then of course I’d rather do that. But the reality is that things aren’t so easy.”

Shun looks down sadly as I go on.

“But I do think that we’ll never get anywhere if we keep using that as an excuse.”

“Huh?”

I know most people would laugh at me and say I’m naive.

But even so…

“I know I’m just dreaming. I don’t care if people laugh at me for being unrealistic. But there’s nothing wrong with having a goal to strive for. Mine is a world where everyone can live happily in peace. And I’ll keep chasing that ideal until I die.”

“Brother…”

“…!”

Sue jumps up and runs out of the room, as if she can’t bear to hear my words any longer.

“Ah! Sue?!”

Shun turns around in alarm.

“It’s okay. Go after her.”

Sue isn’t acting like herself right now.

I’m sure she needs Shun’s help.

“But…”

Shun hesitates, knowing he won’t be able to see me again for a while.

“I’ll come back to visit once things calm down.”

“…Promise me!”