Late at night in Gimeena City. Kuze the Passing Disaster entered the city not in a carriage but on foot.
To ensure that no one could track him.
The night's temperature was on the chilly side, and Kuze's exhalations were misty white.
"…I've arrived in the city. I'm ready."
He used the radzio in his inside pocket to communicate with a distant ally.
In a position a little ways outside the city, his commander for the Sixways Exhibition—Zigita Zogi the Thousandth—was supposed to be on standby.
Goblins, a race thought to have been eradicated from the land. Among them, he was a champion, equipped with an exceptional genius for military strategy.
Kuze had volunteered for this latest operation himself.
It was a job to grow Hiroto's camp's trust in him as an assassin. More than that, however, it was a job, as the Order's cleaner, that would thwart a deed that threatened to shock the very world.
"It's okay. Just gotta do it today."
The target was Aureatia's Twenty-Sixth General, Nofelt the Somber Wind. They would dispose of Uhak the Silent's sponsor and lead Zigita Zogi the
Thousandth to a win by default in his match.
With Uhak then becoming a masterless pawn, he would turn into an impossible-to-deal-with trump card in the Sixways Exhibition, with only Hiroto's camp knowing the absoluteness of his abilities. That was their plan.
reason we sent you for the job, as you requested, was in part because you are the one with the highest chances of drawing Nofelt to our side. You both hail from the same almshouse, yes?> "You've done your research, huh. That's right." "…Bweh-heh-heh. Listen, you don't need to be so cautious, Zigita Zogi." For Zigita Zogi, Kuze the Passing Disaster was the newest addition to their cause and an untrustworthy assassin. Whether he could deal with Nofelt here would also serve as a test to see if Kuze could truly act under the strategic leadership of Hiroto's camp. However, even excluding such circumstances, Kuze was resolved. "…Nofelt is trying to expose that Uhak fellow right in front of the audience's eyes. The ogre priest who negates Word Arts. The criminal behind the Alimo Row massacre. I don't think for a moment that Uhak's mere existence is a crime, but…if the truth behind him is made known to the world, it'd be blasphemy against the Wordmaker… The Nofelt I know isn't the type of guy to do that." Though he had long lost the qualifications to be a priest, Kuze was someone who shared an Order upbringing with Nofelt, and he was a paladin. He needed to hear Nofelt's confession—what was he thinking? "If you're going to make someone else do it anyway, I'd rather it'd be me." <...I trust in your abilities.> "Well then, there's just one more thing I want to know… Why did Uhak the Silent catch your attention? Truth is: There were other candidates you were looking to get your hands on and use as your trump card, weren't there?" Hiroto's camp was gathering secret weapons they could mobilize themselves. Even under the condition that they couldn't be affiliated with Aureatia, there were many other figures who were worthy of being called invincible. Alus the Star Runner. Toroa the Awful. Tu the Magic. Mestelexil the Box of Desperate Knowledge. including the construct races, dragonkin, and the gigante. Psianop the Inexhaustible Stagnation. Alus the Star Runner. Lucnoca the Winter. Ozonezma the Capricious. Tu the Magic. Mestelexil the Box of Desperate Knowledge. Shalk the Sound Slicer. Mele the Horizon's Roar.> Zigita Zogi dispassionately read off a list of names. Should Zigita Zogi win the eighth match and advance, until the third match, Zeljirga the Abyss Web was the only candidate among those he could face who wouldn't be affected by Uhak's ability. Indeed, if none of the other participants knew about the existence of such a being, then Uhak was the best possible piece to have under their control. "…I got it. Sorry for making you explain all that for me. I guess I want to believe that this is really necessarily, is all." Zigita Zogi's tone was always calm and composed. A tactician who pushed aside his own emotions and always dispassionately conveyed the optimal strategy—and nothing more. "…Guess so. I mean, am I wrong?" The man who should have loved his comrades in the Order, just as Kuze did, was trying to curse not just the Order, but the entire world itself. "…If I don't kill him, that might be it for all of us." Nofelt had resolved to do as much. After Kuze failed to notice such anguish and abandoned Cunodey to her death, at this stage, what sort of words could he say to make Nofelt change his mind? "Fair enough. I feel the same way." was inherently born with, but…even making them out to be the Wordmaker's teachings may not be the real, absolute truth.> "..." If that was how everyone was going to face Uhak's existence, then perhaps Nofelt's deeds were, in fact, salvation to make the truth known to the world. However… What about the things Kuze had protected up until now, piling up corpses as he went? "Me, I don't want to think about that." Both Uhak the Silent's and Cunodey's final moments. Kuze covered his face with one hand. "I… I want to believe in the Wordmaker… There are plenty of people out there who have found salvation from his teachings alone." <...> "…Zigita Zogi. If I do let Nofelt go here, what will happen?" He posed a new question, as if to shake himself free of his own mind. Right now he needed to rationally paint over the sin that was going to occur that night. "Or putting it another way, no matter what happens to Nofelt, no one will notice until the day of his match." Kuze thought. …You really are an outstanding guy, after all, Nofelt. He may have been very close to outwitting Zigita Zogi, the most powerful tactician in the land. All with the simple yet bold plan of leaving his hero candidate behind in Aureatia while he, the sponsor, went into hiding. He always had the smarts to react to situations like this, ever since they were in the almshouse together. Whenever he was about to be forced into handling an annoying job, he'd suddenly disappear right beforehand. "Nah, that won't be necessary. If he's in the city, I have an idea where he'd make his last stop for the night." Kuze's footsteps advanced through the streets without any hesitation. He continued to speak briefly with Zigita Zogi before he cut the radzio communication line. Once he had lost his conversation partner, he realized it was a terribly lonesome night. Thanks to a wonderful miracle, we are all no longer in solitude. Kuze arrived at a church. He was confident that Nofelt was certain to be here. All living things who possess minds of their own are all part of our family. In his mind, Kuze recited the teachings he once learned. He was unable to hope that doing so would bring some kind of salvation. When he opened the door, he saw the figure of a man sitting down at the altar. There was no one else. Nofelt the Somber Wind was here in this church. "…Hey there, Nofelt. Haven't seen you in a spell." "Ugh." Even seated, Nofelt was very tall. He had been ever since they were kids. Every year, he'd grow taller, as if to answer the expectations of those around him, like his body itself couldn't wait to broadcast Nofelt's prominent talents, even if the man himself remained silent. Nofelt laughed foolishly. "That obnoxious speaking style, gotta be Big Brother Kuze, huh?" "That mouth of yours hasn't changed, either, has it?" Kuze replied with a faint laugh of his own, and he started approaching Nofelt. "Oh, mind if I take a seat?" "And if I said no?" "What? I'll still sit, of course. I mean, lemme tell you, at this age, it doesn't take much to make your back ache." Kuze sat down next to Nofelt. Nor did Nofelt make any attempt to stop him. Sitting side by side, Nofelt was indeed about two heads taller than Kuze. Just how old was Nofelt going to get before he stopped growing? Kuze wished he had the time to indulge in such earnest questions. "Your back? At your age, seriously? Quit it with that. You're gonna make me look like an old man, too." "…Bweh-heh-heh. Don't worry about that; we've both been old men for a while now. How many years do you think it's been since then?" "Twenty-two…? Or it is twenty-three? Heh… I don't remember." "C'mon, you gotta remember that much. As of two small months ago, uh, right, it was…twenty…" "You don't even remember." "…Bweh-heh-heh. Damn, it's that aging brain of mine." Despite it being all so long ago, he could remember it even now. The True Demon King was still a far-off incident in some place the kids didn't recognize, and even though they were poor, they were all able to help each other. The kids joined with the adults at work, they met many, many priests, and heard all sorts of words from them. Then, even as each individual word vaguely blurred together, he remembered the many memories like a song he couldn't help humming to himself. Nastique the Quiet Singer surely must have seen the world in a similar way. Kuze believed so. "…What d'ya say to a round of feather top, Nofelt?" "For real?" "I still have it. The one you left with me when you graduated. Here." Taking a brass top out of his inner pocket, he tossed it to Nofelt. Nofelt was by no means good at feather top, but the top was one he had always taken pride in. Seeing the dull gleam, unchanged from times past, he laughed. "That's kid's stuff, c'mon." "Hey, can't hurt every once and while. Here we go. Five. Four. Three." "Whoa, whoa, whoa now. Ha-ha, wait, just hold up a sec, geez." "Two. One, and—!" Aiming at church floorboards, Kuze let the feather top fly. Nofelt's lagged slightly behind. The two tops spun, letting out unique sounds as their spins cut through the air. "We got yelled at whenever we did this on the church floor, huh." "…Right. That didn't make any damn sense, for real." "Especially since all the boards were level, and it had the most space. If I ever got to be a priest, that whole stupid rule'd be gone. But I guess kids these days don't play feather top as much?" "Wait, Big Brother Kuze, you're still doing that Order stuff?" —Indeed. Kuze couldn't leave the Order even while he betrayed the teachings more than any follower. Would his mind be more at ease if he had lived without believing in the Wordmaker? Could he have lived while pretending not to see the angel watching him? "So was there some test to be a priest or something?" "Nope. 'Paladin' is just a title, and I'm basically still rank-and-file." "Huh…" "I hate to admit it, but you know, Nofelt… You really are special. I'm glad you left. You've always been the smartest, even back then. With the huge body to back it up… I never thought you'd still be growing. Your parents must've really been outstanding, huh…to end up like you did." "…Listen, Big Brother Kuze. That excuse's a bit unfair, right? I mean, none of us had any damn parents. Even if we did, they were assholes who abandoned their own kids, right?" The feather tops continued to spin. The brass surface reflected the warmly flickering candlelight. "That's true. You…you worked hard, didn't you? You're part of the Twenty- Nine Officials, now." "Heh… Heh-heh-heh. Shit." The Twenty-Sixth General laughed. A dry, flippant laugh. It slightly resembled Kuze's own somehow. "I'm shit. Even after becoming so great and important, I'm still shit. A shithead just like my parents… Did you know, Big Brother Kuze? Granny Cunodey's dead. I… You know, I…" Nofelt rested his forehead down on his hands, folded in his lap. "…Really, I thought…if I became powerful and important, I'd be able to make things easier for everyone. Make sure that at every almshouse there'd be green strawberries after every meal…and use Kingdom money to have a cleaning lady at each one, too. Heck, I even thought for their scripts, they could use proper lambskin, you know… What else…? Heh-heh, ah right, there was another thing, too. I'd make it so the kids would be able to play feather top in church, right." "I know. We all knew. Not one of us thought you abandoned us and left." "…Stop, stop, it's super embarrassing! Hey, Big Brother Kuze. Everyone went and died. What am I supposed to do? I don't have anything I want to do anymore." "..." One of the feather tops' spinning wavered. Scraping against the ground with a clack, until it finally collapsed. It was Nofelt's feather top. "Bweh-heh-heh… I win." "…Pfft… You just got lucky. This here's my Heron's Cry, you know." "That's the thing. Sure, you learned fast, but your feather top was always weak, huh." "No way… It's not weak at all. Rematch time." The two synced up their breathing and dropped their feather tops. The sounds of the spins reverberated on top of each other. From somewhere far off in the church, the wind howled. "…Nofelt." "What?" "If I told you 'Don't give in to despair,' would you be able to stop?" "..." Nofelt looked at the high ceiling. After a long silence, he let out a sigh. Only the clattering of the spinning feather tops echoed. "Not happening." "….... " "Hold up; my top looks like it's gonna fall again." "Heh-heh. I win, again, General Pushover." "Dammit… For real, this is so freaking… Ah, dammit! We're having another rematch, got it?" "It'll just be more of the same, my friend. You trying to break your old record of eight straight losses from back when we were kids?" "I'm telling you, if Granny Cunodey hadn't stopped us, I would've won the next nine straight." One more time, their feather tops spun. The light of the candle continued to flicker unchanged. Seeing the nostalgic scene in front of him, Kuze smiled. Laughing along as they did in their youth, and yet he knew they could never return to that time again. "You came here to kill me, didn't you, Big Brother Kuze?" "..." "You know… I—I can't do it anymore. I can't. You see the look in Uhak's eyes…? See, I get it. Truth is, that guy… He hates all of it. The whole world and everything in it." "That's all just in your head." That day, Kuze saw Uhak. He was repenting. They were eyes that wanted to atone for his sins against the world, but without having any means to do so. "…Listen, Big Brother Kuze. If I said I was gonna use him, right…and turn this whole big farce upside down, what'd you say? Just destroy everything… Heh-heh, sounds like a blast, right? After he's made hero, he'll go up in front of everyone…and show them that Word Arts, the Wordmaker or whatever, is all a big load of crap…bald-faced lies…" "It's okay, Nofelt. Enough, you don't need to blame yourself." "I… The thing is—I… I'm just sick of this world. Seriously, it's hopeless, isn't it?" "…You did everything you could. Look, it's not your fault, okay? Seriously." One of the feather tops collapsed. Kuze hoped it wasn't the case, but he looked to see it was indeed Nofelt's top again. All the many friends they had lived with, Cunodey and Rozelha, too—they were all gone. Nofelt had left the Order. Kuze continued to remain in their ranks. He had to protect the dying Order. Even if decay was the only path left, within it still remained the meaning to the life he had lived, the lives that the adults in the Order, and the children he wanted to protect, had lived. "…I win." "Dammit… Why can't I win, dammit…? Right up until the end…" "We can keep going. I'll take you on as many times as you want…no matter how long." "…Yeah, not happening." As he flippantly laughed, Nofelt was crying. Tears that he surely hadn't noticed for himself. When they were little, he made sure never to cry at all. "This is hilarious, for real." "…No one's abandoned you. No one. It's true." He put a hand on Nofelt's shoulder. Nastique was there. The angel was looking at the pair. Then that same angel placed her blade in the back of Nofelt's neck. "Did he die?" That's right. I killed him. Kuze mumbled. Was that the only salvation to be had? Even if Nofelt had wished for it himself, there should have been another path available. "…It's true… It's really true, Nofelt, believe me…" The feather top was spinning. There was now only one sheen of brass, illuminated in the candlelight. Ozonezma the Capricious's treatment room. Tu the Magic was squatting down next to the colossal chimera and listening to him explain the logic behind her own body's construction. Her race and ancestry were checkered, more so than anyone else participating in the Sixways Exhibition. At some point, even these truths are sure to be made clear. Tu stared wide-eyed at Ozonezma, but eventually she began to speak. "…I'm glad I didn't get paired up against you, Ozonezma. You knew more about me than I even do… If we fought each other, I probably woulda lost. That and you're my big brother, after all." "INDEED." Although the chimera Ozonezma was not a pure construct, from the moment he was spawned into this word, he had undergone painstaking adjustments at the hands of the self-proclaimed demon king of the First Party, Izick, and had existed as a living weapon. A solitary offspring essentially the same as a construct. Connections for him had always been beyond any blood relationship, including his relationship with Izick. Therefore, he wanted Tu to live, too. "NOW, FOR THE MAIN POINT AT HAND. YOUR OPPONENT IN YOUR FIRST-ROUND MATCH MAY BE ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH YOUR INVINCIBILITY." "You mean, Kuze the Passing Disaster?" "…YUCA." Ozonezma called out to Yuca, his own sponsor. He had sunk his enormous frame into a corner chair inside the treatment room and was nodding off, half asleep. "...Hmmm?" "SORRY, BUT WOULD YOU MIND LEAVING US FOR A MOMENT?" "Sure? Oh, but just don't start any fights, okay? This is my facility and all." "WE WILL NOT CAUSE YOU TROUBLE." Yuca excused himself from the room. Ozonezma had made him leave because there was information he had obtained through Hiroto the Paradox included in what he was going to talk about next. Information that, having not entered Aureatia himself, he shouldn't have possibly known. Even if Yuca or a subordinate of his were eavesdropping, Ozonezma was capable of sensing their presence. However, he knew full well that, when it came to Yuca, that was one thing he didn't need to worry about. He was an honest man. "KUZE'S UNIQUE POWER IS INSTANT DEATH. AS LONG AS HIS OPPONENT IS A LIVING CREATURE, THIS HAS PROVEN TRUE FOR ALL HIS TARGETS. EVEN IF KUZE HIMSELF DOES NOT ACT, IF HE IS ATTACKED, HIS OPPONENT WILL BE HIT WITH AN AUTOMATIC AND UNSEEN ATTACK…AND SUBSEQUENTLY PERISH." "…And I'll die, too?" "I WOULD SAY…IT IS LIKELY SO. AS I JUST EXPLAINED NOW, YOU ARE, WITHOUT QUESTION, A LIVING ORGANISM." Although Ozonezma was colluding with Hiroto's camp during his participation in the Sixways Exhibition, it was an equal partnership. He was not participating in the operation as intimately as Hiroto's adviser, Zigita Zogi. Thus, he hadn't been informed by Hiroto's camp at all about the abilities and origins of any of the hero candidates from the fifth match onward, as they were outside of his part of the bracket. Considering there was a possibility Ozonezma could leak information, it was a valid judgment to maintain Hiroto's camp's advantage. Ozonezma understood this all as well. However, for Kuze the Passing Disaster alone, he been informed about the man's powers. Kuze was a collaborator who had been brought into Hiroto's camp after the start of the Sixways Exhibition. The information on him he had received by Zigita Zogi was, at this stage, proving to be effective. IN OTHER WORDS, ZIGITA ZOGI. HE MUST BE TELLING ME TO USE KUZE'S INFORMATION LIKE THIS. Ozonezma continued. "TU. DO YOU KNOW WHY KUZE IS COMPETING IN THIS FIGHT?" "…Nope. He's from the Order, right?" "FOR A LONG TIME, THE ORDER HAS SHOULDERED THE EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE FUNCTIONS OF THIS SOCIETY. ORPHANS WHO HAVE LOST PARENTS IN WAR. CHILDREN ABANDONED IN POVERTY. THE ORDER GAVE FOOD AND EDUCATION TO SUCH PEOPLE." "…I'm visiting the church, too. I'm not doing it to pray to the Wordmaker really, but I made friends. So…I know that everyone's having a super-tough time right now." Tu leaned forward and inquired. "Hey, so. Do you think Kuze's trying to become the hero in order to help everyone?" "THAT IS LIKELY THE CASE. THEY ARE BEING DRIVEN INTO A CORNER. THE REASON IS BECAUSE THEY WERE FORCED TO BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TRUE DEMON KING TRAGEDY." "..." The color in Tu's eyes changed at hearing the True Demon King's name. The young girl was formerly called the Demon King's Bastard. "THE WORDMAKER THEY PUT THEIR FAITH IN IS THE GOD WHO CREATED THIS WORLD. THAT GOD ALLOWED FOR THE EXISTENCE OF THE TRUE DEMON KING. THE TRAGEDY THAT THEY HAD NO HOPES OF FIGHTING AGAINST WAS SUCH THAT THE CITIZENS REQUIRED A TARGET TO POINT THEIR ANIMOSITY." "That…that makes no sense. It wasn't anyone's fault. I mean, they could decide to blame someone and take them down, and that still wouldn't change anything…" "TU. THIS SIXWAYS EXHIBITION… WHILE IT IS WHERE A HERO WILL BE DECIDED ON, IT IS ALSO A BATTLE OVER THE CONTROL OF POLITICAL AUTHORITY IN AUREATIA. IN ORDER TO REHABILITATE THE ORDER'S STATUS, KUZE THE PASSING DISASTER NEEDS TO PROVE THEIR POLITICAL WORTH. TO HIM, IT COULD BE SAID, THIS IS HIS SOLE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO." "But Kuze's attacks… They kill people, right?" "YES. WITHOUT EXCEPTION." "…Killing someone will save everyone in the Order?" "I DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND KUZE'S INTENTIONS. HOWEVER, THAT WOULD BE THE CASE." Tu looked hard at Ozonezma. Her green eyes were tinged with a faint light. Tu combined an artless soul with an innocent sense of justice. There were times when that transformed into a cruelty that mercilessly eliminated one's opponents. Ozonezma was only speaking directly with Tu for the first time, but he didn't want her to end up like that. If she learned about Kuze's circumstances and chose to withdraw from the fight without losing her life, that was enough for him. "…TU THE MAGIC. WHAT IS YOUR REASON FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE SIXWAYS EXHIBITION? THROUGH MY FIGHT WITH SOUJIROU THE WILLOW-SWORD, I CAME TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING… THIS SIXWAYS EXHIBITION IS A BATTLE OF SPIRIT AS WELL. IN ORDER TO TRULY STRIKE KUZE DOWN WITHOUT ANY HESITATION… YOU, TOO, WILL NEED SUITABLE CONVICTIONS OF YOUR OWN." "I want to meet the Queen." "..." Queen Sephite. The young monarch who currently governed Aureatia, the last survivor of the United Western Kingdom. Tu the Magic would have been present there, too, as the Queen's kingdom fell to ruin. "I want to meet Sephite…and have her smile for me." "…THAT IS ACHIEVABLE WITHOUT PARTICIPATING IN THE SIXWAYS EXHIBITION." There were people who could effortlessly grant Tu's wish. However, even Ozonezma understood how difficult that would prove to be. "Yeah. I know that. I… I just have to attend school. Rique told me that, too." Tu smiled. "But studying and stuff is still really hard." Tu must have understood as well. That she was not of the minian races, but a being born with a deviate destiny thrust upon her, and that someone like her wouldn't be accepted by greater society. The juggernaut, born into this world possessing nothing more than tremendous brute force, might have been unable to make her wish come true through any other means besides combat. Kuze the Passing Disaster, and the Tu the Magic, would fight. If the end result had Kuze coming up short, then it would be a large loss for Hiroto's camp. Kuze had to win. THE REST DEPENDS ON TU HERSELF. I… I HAVE, IN MY OWN WAY, FULFILLED MY OBLIGATIONS TO HIROTO. Ozonezma closed his eyes. …NEVERTHELESS, I DO NOT WANT HER TO FIGHT. He hoped that the spear of absolute death and the shield of absolute arrest did not collide. For even if Kuze won, and it was Tu who was found lacking… To Ozonezma, it would mean he would lose the little sister he had finally found.