When we showed up, fear was plastered across the faces of everyone in the vacant lot. That reaction was the best. As a Seeker, being feared to this extent by my peers was just right.
Leon, who was lying on the ground in front of my eyes, proved that it was the end if you were looked down upon. No matter how outstanding a Seeker you were, if you let your weakness show, the only outcome waiting for you is getting lynched like this. Even someone from Sky Winged Knights, who were exemplary role models and did not cause trouble for anyone, would get jumped like this, so this was truly a blood-soaked, violent world.
Well, for people like me, it's a very comfortable and liveable world though.
「Wh, what do you guys want?」
When Edgar asked in a quivering voice, I snorted with laughter.
「What do I want? I’m just taking a walk. Am I right?」
「We’re taking a walk」「Just taking a walk」
When I brought up the subject to Kouga and Alma, who were waiting behind me, they nodded in a forced and unnatural manner.
「St, stop messing around! Why are the people who are supposed to be taking a walk getting in our way!? What the heck are you doing!?」
Edgar shouted while still holding his right hand, which was short a few fingers. He was still pretty shaken, but he had composed himself enough to take several glances at his battle axe, which had fallen on the ground, as well as his allies around him. He was probably searching for an opening for a counterattack. But that was an impossible endeavor.
「Edgar, you're holding your head too high」
「Wh, what did you say?」
「You’re so impudent despite being inferior to all of us. I don't like that, you know? Yes, I don't like that one bit. How about you just die here?」
「What? Did you say I’m inferior!?」
Edgar, whose face was bright red because his pride had been hurt, picked up his battle axe with his left hand, and shouted loudly to his allies.
「Everyone, pick up your weapons! How can we stay silent after being looked down on like this!? Let’s make Blue Beyond bathe in their own blood too!!!」
Edgar swung his battle axe in an inspiring fashion, and issued orders to his allies. However, rather than being fired up by Edgar's orders, those allies in question were beginning to back away bit by bit.
「Gi, give me a break, Edgar......」
「Blue Beyond are the ones who defeated Sky Winged Knights, you know……」
「On top of that, they subjugated Dantalion with just three people......」
「They're not opponents that we can win against......」
Edgar's allies had completely lost their nerve. Before long, one of them turned on his heel and bolted like a rabbit.
「Uwaaaaaaaaa!!!」
That started the ball rolling, and Edgar’s allies fled like rats from a sinking ship.
「Wait! Don't run away! Come back!!!」
Edgar desperately tried to stop them, but not a single one of them looked back.
I had expected it to turn out like this from the beginning. Actually, they probably had a good chance of winning if they had all fought together. We wouldn’t have taken it lying down, but Edgar had the numerical advantage on his side. In spite of that, they overestimated us solely based on rumors, and convinced themselves that they could never win. The result of that was this shameful rout.
「Edgar, you're not very popular, are you?」
When I stepped forward, Edgar drew back.
「D, don't come any closer……」
「Don't come any closer? Are you trying to order me around? Edgar, it’s about time you learned. Who's the most important person in this place right now? Me? Or you?」
「Grrr……」
「Hurry up and answer me! I'll kill you!!!」
「Hii, hiii! Wa, wait, please! I surrender! I beg you, forgive me!」
When I threatened him, Edgar's heart broke and he threw away his weapon as he knelted down.
「Your head is still high. Looks like you really want to tick me off」
「N, no! It’s a misunderstanding!」
Edgar immediately rubbed his forehead on the ground. For a man with such twisted pride, he had become rather obedient. A human's heart is fragile after all.
I walked up to Edgar, grabbed his hair and lifted up his face.
「It's too bad, but even though you’ve gone down on your knees and begged, I still don’t like it after all. What should I do with you? Any good ideas?」
「I, I beg you...... Please let me go......」
To Edgar, who was crying and begging, I did my best to give him a gentle smile.
「Okay, I understand. --I don't like that nose」
A knife was quickly pulled out from its sheath, and Edgar’s nose was cut off.
「GYAAAAAAA!!!」
Edgar thrashed around as he held his now nose-less face with both hands. I grabbed his head and forcefully held it in place so that he could return my gaze.
「Look at me. Look at me!!!」
「Hiiii…… P, please forgive me already……」
「If you want forgiveness, remember this well. Never get carried away and do something like this ever again. If you break your promise, not just you, but your allies, your family and your neighbors, regardless of whether they’re female or elderly, everyone will have the same face as you. Got it? --GOT IT!?」
「G, go, got it! I understand!!」
「Go. This is your final warning」
The moment I let go of his head, Edgar frantically stood up and ran away towards the back of the alley. After seeing him off, I smiled at the dumbfounded Leon.
「Well, Leon. Let's talk business, shall we?」
†
†
「……Business, you said?」
Leon got up and looked at me suspiciously.
「Yes, business. Leon, become my ally」
「What!? St, stop messing around!」
Seeing how he immediately rejected me, it seemed like he bore a grudge against me after all. Well, of course he would. But feelings like that were a trivial problem.
「If you become my ally, I’ll welcome you in as the sub-master of our newly created clan. We’re a team who will grow rapidly from now on. It’s not a bad deal, right?」
「Who on earth will want to become your ally!」
「Why not?」
「If not for Blue Beyond…… No, Noel, if not for you...... Sky Winged Knights won't have been dissolved!!!」
He’ll fall if I talked to him. It helped that the mental make-up of a cornered man was simple.
「You're just like Edgar. Do you know the meaning of what you just said?」
「Don't lump me in with that guy! I know that you colluded with the Seeker Guild!」
「Certainly, I colluded with Harold. I’ll admit that. But I properly let you have the first move, didn't I? You should have plenty of chances to win」
「That's right! But I know that you enticed my allies! Because of what you said, Kaim did something like that…… When I think of his suffering, I can’t forgive you……」
Leon hit the ground with his fist and shed tears of regret. Seeing that, I laughed.
「What's so funny!?」
「Isn’t that curious? If you understand Kaim's suffering so well, why haven’t you reconciled with him? I’m the root of all evil. Even if you can't work together as Seekers, you can meet as friends as much as you like, am I right?」
When I pointed that out, Leon was speechless.
「Leon, the reason why you haven’t gone to see Kaim is because you’re scared of him, right? He is your childhood friend and was someone you thought you knew everything about, but the truth is that he had been deeply jealous of you. But if you gave it some thought, you should have been able to understand something like that. And yet, you didn’t try to figure out the problem. How absurdly negligent of you. I’m appalled that you call yourself the party’s leader」
「Talking like you know everything…… What could you possibly know about it……」
「Of course I know. That's because I’m also in a leadership position. All the problems within the party are the leader’s responsibility. In exchange, the leader is entitled to take all the glory of the party for himself. Leon, you didn’t fulfill the responsibilities of a leader. In spite of that, you turned a blind eye to the fact that you’re the only one that the public recognized. There’s no way that a party like that can last long」
Leon was outstanding. However, because he was too outstanding, he couldn't understand the weaknesses in people's hearts. As a result, the hearts of the other three continued to be exhausted.
「……I knew. That everything was my fault. That even without you, Noel, there was no future for us…… But if I admit that, it would mean that everything we’ve done was all for nothing…… That’s too much for me to bear……」
Leon's shoulders shook as he sobbed uncontrollably. I stood right in front of him.
「Leon, I'll return to you the words from that time. Stand, stand and fight」
「What would fighting accomplish? What I’ve lost will never return……」
「No, it’ll return」
「…………Huh?」
When Leon looked up, I continued quietly.
「Certainly, if things stay as they are now, the glory of Sky Winged Knights will become a thing of the past. No, the public is merciless. The glory will be gone, and only dishonor will remain. Likewise, that dishonor will also quickly disappear. And in a year’s time, I’m certain that no one will remember the name of Sky Winged Knights」
「You’re probably right……」
「But if you, the former leader of Sky Winged Knights, leave your mark as a Seeker, the name of Sky Winged Knights will also remain」
「......That's why you're telling me to fight? For only something like that?」
When Leon twisted his mouth as if he was laughing at himself, I nodded.
「That's right. Fight, and fulfill the responsibilities that you didn’t fulfill. Fight, and leave the name of Sky Winged Knights for posterity. Other than that, there's no other way for you to be saved」
「But if I become your ally, I'll be a true traitor……」
「Leon, become an egoist. Throw away those half-baked emotions. Neither you nor your allies will be saved by things like that. If you truly wish from the bottom of your heart to immortalize your precious memories, you'll need to be resolved to abandon everything else. That’s because there's not a single thing that exists in this cruel world that can be obtained without paying a price」
Leon was silent and remained so for a long time. Eventually, as if he had made up his mind, he opened his mouth.
「Noel, what do you wish for? What’s your purpose in persisting as a Seeker?」
「It’s to show this world that I'm the strongest Seeker」
When I answered immediately, Leon widened his eyes. Then, he got up slowly.
「......Can I believe those words? If you're lying, I won't forgive you......」
「Hmpt, that's a foolish question」
I smiled and proffered my hand. With a mixed smile, Leon grasped it.
†
†
It was exactly one week from the day that Harold had told us about the Variant. We paid the compulsory fee of 20 million Fil, stated the address of the clan house that we had purchased, and we were officially recognized as a clan instead of a party.
As the four of us walked together on our way back from the Seeker Guild, we came across passers-by who were gossiping about us everywhere we turned.
「Look, it's Noel and Leon......」
「I guess it’s true that Blue Beyond and Sky Winged Knights have merged and become a clan…… This is going to be amazing......」
「Their numbers are small, but they’ve inherited the achievements of Sky Winged Knights, you know? Once Blue Beyond became a clan, it joined the ranks of the top-ranked clans right away」
「Those Blue Beyond guys, they’re on a steady rise, aren’t they?」
「Wait a minute, according to what I’ve heard, they discarded the Blue Beyond name when they became a clan. After they merged, their new name is--」
They were all pretty quick to pick up on the rumors. Well, I was the one who had spread the rumors though. I had asked Loki, the information broker, to spread the word that we had become a clan throughout the imperial capital. We would undoubtedly take up the front page of every newspaper today as well. This would mean that our name would be spread even further. Being more famous would not only be a factor in our next assessment, it would also make it easier to get more financing from the banks.
As I gloated inside my heart, there was an unexpected, angry yell from behind me.
「Noel Stollen!!! You demon!!!」
I looked back and saw Kaim, whose face had been distorted into an angry and menacing expression.
「Hi, Kaim. It's been a long time. We haven’t met since that test, right?」
「Because of you, all of us--!!! Dieeeee!!!」
Kaim readied his spear and looked like he was about to stab and kill me. Alma and Kouga started to cut him off, but Leon the Sky Winged was much faster than the two of them, and had already blocked Kaim with his shield.
「Kaim, stop it! If you do something like this, you're not going to get away scot-free! Hurry up and put away your spear!!」
「Shut up, you traitor!!! How could you wag your tail for the demon that set us up!!!???」
「That's right! I'm a traitor! That's why I won't let you kill Noel!」
At Leon’s declaration, Kaim jumped backwards. He didn’t give up because he had realized he was wrong. He was only adjusting the distance so that he could get the most power into his next spear attack. Kaim readied his spear again, giving off an intense killing intent.
「Then, first...... I'll kill you!!!」
Kaim charged forward and released a fierce thrust. A thrust with a long run-up like that would probably penetrate Leon’s shield easily.
However, Leon effortlessly dodged the spear and punched Kaim’s jaw with his right fist. Kaim was blown away and fell onto his back, looking like he had been knocked out.
「Da, damn you! You didn’t even pull out your sword, you're…… To what extent are you trying to make a fool out of me…… Curse you...... I curse you, traitor!」
Still lying on his back, Kaim hurled abuse at Leon. But Leon didn't respond and turned his back on Kaim, his former ally.
「I won't make any excuses. I'm a traitor. That's why I will walk my own path」
And then, it was right when Leon was coming back towards us.
「Good luck, Leon......」
At Kaim's words, Leon's eyes shot wide open. In an instant, his eyes turned red, his lips started trembling, and he started to look back.
「Don't look back!」
I stopped him sharply.
「Don't look back, Leon. ……Realize it, your big brother’s manliness」
Kaim hadn't come to kill me, much less to hurl bitter words at Leon. Seeing that his little brother had chosen a new path, the awkward big brother had come to confirm his little brother’s resolve. And, his goal was just to say that one phrase,「Good luck」.
「Let's go」
When I urged him on, Leon wiped his tears and nodded.
「Yes, let’s go. Master」
†
†
The clan house, which would be our base, was a brick building that was previously used as a housing complex. It was three-storied and had nine rooms. I bought it on installment, using half of the reward from the Dantalion subjugation as the down payment.
The renovations that the clan house needed weren't done yet, and the insides were in a state of neglect. I would need to hire tradesmen to give it a make-over. I was sure that it probably leaked, and I was positive that the floors were rotted in a few places. Therefore, we couldn’t go inside as it was still dangerous.
「It's a pretty splendid building. We really can’t go inside?」
I laughed at the question Kouga had asked as he looked up at the clan house.
「In that case, would you like to try going inside?」
「Eh, I'll pass……」
As Kouga shook his head, Alma had a mean look on her face again.
「Kouga is a wuss」
「Shut up!」
I had gotten completely used to their exchanges. It was really time for them to cut it out and get along better with each other.
「Master, did we only drop by to take a look at the clan house today?」
I nodded at Leon, who had tilted his head.
「That’s one of the objectives. Everyone will get fired up when they see the clan house, won’t they?」
「I suppose. What's the other objective?」
「I wanted to give these out at our clan house」
I took three brooches out of my pocket. All three brooches were identical, and were shaped like winged snakes.
「They're made from mithril. I asked an armorer I know to make them for us. This will be our emblem」
When I proffered the brooches, the three of them received them in order. First was Alma, the first one to become my ally. Next was Kouga. Lastly, Leon took the brooch.
「Since ancient times, snakes have been a symbol of immortality and prosperity. On the other hand, there were times when they were feared as evil beings that led people astray. That duality suits us well. The noble path and the immoral path, light and darkness, we’ll make use of these different attributes as we aim for the top」
With a strong look in their eyes, the three of them nodded.
「The application for the creation of the clan has been approved. We're neither Blue Beyond, nor Sky Winged Knights. As I've already told everyone, we'll use this name from now on」
I surveyed the three of them, and spoke the name.
「Wild Tempest(Storm Winged Snakes)」
Seriously, Kaim is the best dude in that party to me. His manliness made me tear up. He reminds me of Lancer(the blue tights one), the good guy that remains unappreciated until the end, especially in the UBW route.
Wanted to point out that when Leon calls Noel “Master”, he means Clan Master. Not the “I will serve you” kind of Master. I think you guys get what I’m trying to say. XD
This chapter caused a stir in Syosetu when it was published. Some people totally couldn’t understand how Leon could forgive Noel and join him, and the author went so far as to write a play by play, director’s commentary on the whole process. I won’t put it up unless a lot of people tell me that they don’t understand it either. But I’ll give a rough overview. In the last chapter, you can see how much the word worth, worthless, etc pops up in Leon’s section, and you have to remember that Leon is not a person with high self-esteem, despite his talent. He truly believes he is only a leader in name after all. And the only thing propping up his self-esteem, was his precious party, Sky Winged Knights. Once he lost that, he became an empty shell. So in this chapter, after Noel makes Leon admit that his grudge against Noel is unjustified, Noel offers up a method for Leon to at least let the name of his precious Sky Winged Knights last forever. Remember that the author had stressed over and over that Sky Winged Knights = Leon to the public. While Leon did indeed want that, he confirms Noel intentions, and didn’t believe him the first time, and tested him by saying that he won’t forgive him for lying, but when Noel reaffirmed that he was going to aim for the top, Leon decided to believe him. But back to the point before this, he isn’t 100% loyal, like Kouga and Alma, but he does accept Noel as his clan master as he believes Noel can help him achieve his new goal.
Also, no profile for new party members from now on. Actually, the author went back and removed the old ones in Part 1 too but I'll leave them alone for now......
I'm unbelievably grateful that you're enjoying my work, but paying bills is an issue at the moment, so it's only with your support that I will be able to continue to provide such translations! Every little bit truly helps!! Thank you so much! Stay safe and healthy, everyone!!!
My other works: Talker Manga, Foreigner(Ihoujin) WN and UHT.
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