Chapter 89
A Man Named
Veda
Translator : PolterGlast
Even now, I can
remember it clearly.
Veda suddenly traced
back his memories.
At first, it was just
out of curiosity. The roots of the World Tree always gave him a lot of
information. It was as vast as the grains of sand on a beach, and it was
difficult to grasp everything. Therefore, he made it a point to only observe
the major changes in each country.
Soleil was built on a
terribly fragile balance because of the blessed tools called magic tools. How
much useful information could he obtain? Focusing solely on that point, he
searched for the signs of the World Tree.
The rumor he heard
that a demon had appeared in Cloudy Country was just a grain of sand. Cloudy
Country had the most intense persecution of demons among all the leaves. Even
so, it was rare for it to happen in the capital, so at first, he casually
followed the thread. This thread was an image in his mind. Something like thin
threads ran under the earth. He searched each one, reaching out.
The demon who
destroyed Velvect, the capital of Cloudy Country, seemed to be an adult woman.
Although she had refined features, from Veda's perspective, she was wearing
bizarre clothes, and her purpose was unknown. Rumors of a similar girl slowly
spread through the city. The girl's name was El. What was the demon's
objective? It was just curiosity. Along with her presence, he saw the slimes
and the figure of a man.
They traveled little
by little. The man's name seemed to be Lotus. Veda, in the distant land of
Soleil, could immediately tell that El admired him. It was also heartwarming.
Veda had a lot to do. So, he couldn't always observe their movements, and he
felt reluctant because he thought they would never imagine that some unknown
person was watching them. So, he tried not to follow their movements too much.
But, at times, he found himself only searching for their presence.
It was enjoyable. It
would be an overstatement to say they had no malice, but they were just people.
They lived honestly with their own emotions, were a little too kind, suffered
losses, and yet repeated it again. Although they were demons, he felt they were
also just people.
It was terribly
embarrassing, but there were times when he felt as if he had traveled with them
from a distant place. He had the sensation that he had walked with El, Lotus,
and Ichi and the others for three years, a journey that was by no means short.
He had developed a fondness for them, whom he had never met, and had hoped to
meet them someday. He felt their presence in Soleil, and then actually met
them, and although El probably didn't notice, he was truly happy. They were
just as Veda had imagined.
That's why he
entrusted it to her.
Shan... the shakujo
rang quietly.
"Contemplating
things with such leisure, you seem to have plenty of free time."
It was the sarcastic
voice of the young man. "Perhaps," Veda replied with just the words.
Right now, he was in the enemy camp. Although he wasn't completely surrounded
by soldiers, they were keeping their distance and observing him. In front of
him was the one-eyed young man who was the general of the enemy forces. He knew
that this was Snow, as he had already announced his name.
"I am Veda Kraat,
the Vice-Tower Master of the Magic Tower."
"I have heard
rumors of you. They say no one surpasses you when it comes to handling magic
tools."
"I am
honored."
"Quite the big
shot has come. Then, I take it you are prepared?"
"Perhaps. In the
first place, Soleil has not been monopolizing the Saint."
"Anyone can say
anything."
--It was a farce.
The development after
this was exactly as Veda had imagined. Snow unilaterally preached about the
danger of Soleil and ordered them to reduce their forces. Or, to hand over the
magic tools. But only Soleil could use the magic tools, and they couldn't
discard any more of their forces. That was exactly what they wanted. Snow laid
out conditions that made it impossible to nod in agreement, and then concluded,
"If you stubbornly refuse to yield, then we have our own plans."
Behind him, a large
number of soldiers were staring at Veda. Surrender. It was a wiser choice than
to fight and shed unnecessary blood.
Snow was certain of
Veda's choice. He could easily guess why the Vice-Tower Master of the Magic
Tower had come here alone.
Veda and Snow talked,
pretending to understand the unavoidable situation they had to concede to. If
they showed the enemy their weakness by surrendering without resistance, they
would have no standing in the future. They understood, made concessions, and in
return, proposed conditions. That was why Veda, who held both judgment and
responsibility, and not a mere soldier who couldn't make decisions or the Main
Tower Master who couldn't risk anything, had come to this place.
(...That's why he
resorted to such a cowardly trick, almost like a surprise attack.)
Originally, even Snow
wouldn't have wanted this. But their country was already at its end. They had
to seize this country, even by borrowing the power of demons, or many of their
people would die.
"Now, are you
prepared to hand over the country?"
Snow glared at Veda
from behind the hair that hid his one eye. He was sure that Veda would nod.
However, all that came back was a long sigh.
"Of course, I
refuse."
He couldn't even
understand what had been said. Veda sighed again, and in a voice as if looking down
on Snow, he spoke with exasperation.
"You bring a
large number of soldiers, relying on brute force, and foolishly demand that we
hand over our country. What in the world should we hand over to such an
imbecile?"
The angry words were
swallowed in an instant. As if blowing away Snow's enraged thoughts, a cool
sound was heard. Shan... the sound of Veda striking his shakujo. It was like
the sound of many delicate pieces of glass rubbing against each other. The
shakujo didn't look ornate, but it had a terribly beautiful sound. Immediately,
Snow shook his head. He realized he had been distracted. Irritation rose in his
voice.
"...Do you
understand the situation?"
"More than you
do. I dislike waste. Any further words are meaningless."
Snow utterly couldn't
understand him. He thought that Veda was beyond foolish.
Now, why had Veda,
alone, stepped into the enemy camp? Most people would call it suicide.
However, if it were
someone who knew him well. If it were the Main Tower Master.
They would probably
just laugh.
--He struck the
shakujo down strongly.
Stronger than before.
Wind was born, originating from Veda. "What...!?" In the raging wind,
Snow couldn't even see his own feet. He couldn't even breathe, gasping for air.
But just being able to stand on both feet was impressive, Veda muttered in the
corner of his mind, but that was all.
Snow had a slight
misunderstanding about Veda as a person.
Soleil, which was
centered around the tower, didn't have a king in the traditional sense, but if
he had to say, the Main Tower Master would be it. Veda, the Vice-Tower Master,
was, so to speak, second in command.
However, even in Hail
Land, across the distant sea, rumors of him had reached. Soleil was much more
privileged than the other leaves. Because they had the convenient magic tools.
Veda, the second-in-command of their country, was apparently very skilled at
handling magic tools.
That, of course, was a
mistake.
Because words of that
caliber could never describe him.
Even the word
"genius" was lukewarm for Veda. Combined with his innate abilities,
the knowledge he had gained to handle magic tools, and the unique skills he had
mastered, there was no one who could catch up to him. Veda himself understood
this.
"Don't do
anything strange...!"
"Strange,
huh?"
Even El didn't know,
his entire body was covered in magic tools. And he had mastered them all.
He chuckled at the
large number of soldiers they had brought. He bound those who were about to
move with strings of wind. Several screams echoed. "Wha...!" Beyond
where Snow turned back, he could no longer advance.
It was glass.
Something transparent
and glittering separated Snow and the soldiers. "What is this...!?!"
Surprised, he put his hand down. But his palm was blown away as if it had
burst. Along with the sound of glass shattering, a raging wind stretched
straight up into the sky. No one could approach.
The blast of wind
surged, gouging out the ground. "Could it be...?" Snow shuddered and
bit his lip. And Veda casually spoke the line exactly as he had imagined.
"I have covered
the entire perimeter of the capital of Kasei. It will only last a few days, but
your soldiers will not be able to approach."
Snow just turned back
to Veda as if looking at something terrifying.
"How about it?
Will you give up on Kasei and attack another city? But unfortunately, there are
no cities within two or three days' reach that a large force like yours can
reach without a commander."
Of course, one could
attack as much as one wanted if one took their time. Such was the power of these
magic tools. As Veda said, it should naturally subside after a few days. But,
"You really did bring a large number of soldiers, huh?" Veda
continued.
"Now, what is the
state of your own country, which you have left behind with so many soldiers
brought to Soleil? It must be terribly undermanned. To the extent that you
would easily lose if attacked by another country."
Snow fully understood
what Veda was implying. It was something he himself had feared when heading to
this country.
"Leyshan, Cloudy
Country—I have informed them of the current situation. Immediate assistance
will be difficult. However, these few days will be significant for them."
While Hail Land
attacked Soleil, they would strike their own country. Snow's strategy was a
race against time. If they didn't conquer Soleil immediately, there would be no
next step.
"Unfortunately,
this is a battle where the outcome is clear. I don't need to directly defeat
you. I just need to buy time. Even I alone can manage that much."
--In this land called
Soleil, Veda held the title of the strongest. If he stepped even one foot
outside the country, he would become just a man who couldn't use magic tools,
but at this very moment, no one could defeat him.
All of Snow's reasons
for defeat lay in underestimating the man named Veda.
(...However, perhaps
even this power could not have been used if El hadn't been there.)
When the sand
scorpions attacked the capital of Kasei, Veda resolved to use the power of this
shakujo. Magic tools had a limit to the power they could use. If it was
exceeded, they would collapse on their own. That was why he had hesitated to
use it, for the sake of the time to come. But he couldn't replace human lives.
Remembering how she
had thrown mud dumplings, a slight smile touched the corner of his lips. But he
immediately glared ahead, so Snow couldn't understand Veda's feelings. He
quietly lowered his shakujo. Snow no longer had the strength to resist. His
hands and feet were as good as taken away.
"How about it?
Will you give up?"
"............"
As long as the wall of
wind didn't disappear, Snow couldn't even get out, but he wanted him to give up
on that. Veda quietly looked down at the young man who had collapsed without
even replying.
"Well now! That's
quite a sight!"
Hearing the sound of
hands clapping lightly, Veda looked around. Where in the world had he been? The
man's clothes were terribly out of place. Black glasses, a colorful shirt, and
shorts. His messy hair stuck out in all directions and reached about halfway down
his back. Without a pause, Veda pointed his shakujo at the man.
"Whoa, whoa, hold
on there! Nothing, nothing! I ain't gonna do nothin'! Look, Snow-sama, don't
just slump there, let's just admit defeat already!"
"A-ah..."
"Shake hands.
Let's shake hands. Gotta know when to quit, right, folks?"
And he forcibly pulled
Snow's arm, making him extend his hand in front of Veda. "Okay, okay,
shake hands." He was a man with a strange sense of distance. Perhaps he
had no will to resist anymore, Snow just glared at the black glasses with a
face as if he had bitten into something bitter, and let it happen.
"Alright then, my turn too." With black glasses, his eyes were
completely hidden, but his grinning mouth was endearing. "Eh, uh..."
He grasped the man's hand as he was pulled.
"Eh, ah,
..."
And then, Veda
abruptly lost consciousness.
Shangra, seeing Veda
collapse to the ground, still clutching his shakujo, held his stomach and
laughed.
"Oh dear, really
now, oh dear. You're just too fundamentally kind, you know?"
Veda didn't move a
muscle anymore.
He knew Veda possessed
terrifying power. But no matter how much of a genius he was, if his roots were
weak, it meant nothing. He lifted the black glasses and threw them away. Under
the sun, Shangra's red eyes were exposed.
"...Shangra..."
"Snow-sama, what
a resentful voice you have. Did you dislike shaking hands that much? But,
you're glad you brought me along, aren't you? My unique skill as a demon is to
nullify all other abilities. The stronger they are, the stronger the backlash,
you see. And so, as you can see."
Well, I can't activate
it unless I touch the target, he said, waving one hand.
"This Veda fellow
is fundamentally too good of a guy, you see. His follow-through is weak, but he
could overturn anything with his abilities. But look, I'm the perfect match for
him."
"...Unnecessary
chatter. Can you dispel this wall of wind?"
"I can, but it'll
take a bit. At least a day, I'd say."
"That's
sufficient."
Being stalled was a
setback, but conversely, it meant they had eliminated the biggest threat.
"Demon users are rough," Shangra shrugged, but got to work. Before
that, he glanced down at Veda, who was lying at his feet.
"So, what should
we do with this guy?"
"...Kill him. He
will definitely become our enemy."
"Got it."
Shangra took out a
knife and thrust it at Veda without hesitation. But the knife was immediately
repelled. Something like a membrane of water protected Veda's surroundings.
"...This might be something close to that rumored water sphere membrane."
Snow raised one eyebrow.
"Just destroy
it."
"Can't do that. I
can feel the power of the World Tree. He's using the World Tree as a medium to
create a barrier. Since the scale is small, it's incredibly tough. We're
completely helpless against this. I just nullified Veda's power a moment ago,
so it's the only option."
He immediately put
away the knife. Should I say he gave up quickly, or that he understood his own
limitations?
"Just who in the
world is it? Such a pain."
"Who knows? I
wouldn't have a clue. But at least I can say, the one who created this barrier
is quite the skilled sorcerer."
Not just anyone could
do that—Shangra muttered to himself.
***
--Sonic, Waaaaave!!!
Buon-buon-buon-buon-buon,
I didn't really understand, but Ichi and the others were shaking violently at
high speed. Barrier, barrier, barrier, barrier! With fierce determination, they
all stared in one direction, saying, "Hey! Ichi, your wave isn't strong
enough!?" "Gunununununu, this is the crucial moment!!!" "Oraoraoraora!!!"
I didn't really understand, but they seemed to be working hard at something.
"...Guys, what
are you doing? And wait, hasn't the water of the World Tree decreased? Isn't
that weird?"
We were supposed to be
collecting the water of the World Tree in a new bottle instead of the one Yuko
had thrown against the wall and broken, but it felt like the amount was much
less than I remembered. "...Did you use it for something?" When I
asked, the three who had been trembling stopped their movements abruptly, turned
back to me at the exact same time, and shook their heads vigorously.
"...Well, it's
fine, I guess."
Even so, I stared at
the fierce wall of wind still visible from the tower window. For some reason,
it felt like its force had weakened slightly. "...Veda?" "Yeah..."
I replied to Lotus's question. That was Veda's trump card, something he could
only use once.
In the game, even
though it was said to be a one-time use, you could restore the number of uses
with the Saint's prayers. So it was a powerful move that you could use
repeatedly, although it took over a dozen turns. But the current Yuko couldn't
use prayers, and I didn't know how much the game's system was linked to this
world.
I knew that when the
sand scorpions attacked the capital of Kasei, he was about to use this trump
card. But at least, I didn't think he should use it at the time. Because there
might be an emergency later. And as that emergency, he had used it now.
The reason why it had
to be him was probably to create that wall of wind. This should be fine. That's
what I thought, but I had a terrible premonition. I clutched the bracelet Veda
had given me. I didn't know what it was. But I had to give it to the Lord of
the Main Tower.
I thought only about
that.
(I wonder when that
person will return...?)
***
"Whoa, whoaah,
whoa, whoaaa!!!"
The man jumped in with
great force. At that moment, a wall of wind formed behind him.
"Just made it in
time...!! No, wait, this is Veda's doing, isn't it!?"
He was a man with a
stubbly beard. Perhaps his journey was nearing its end, as he was dressed in
tattered clothes. He had jumped in with such force that his luggage was on the
other side of the wall of wind. "That guy Veda, he knew I was here...
cutting it way too close!" The man had noticed the wind that suddenly
appeared before him. He had used his luggage as a buffer against the wall and
jumped in with all his might.
"Damn it, that's
some scary trust. What, he thought I could just get through? Well, I did, you
bastard, but don't make an old man do exercise!"
The communication
magic tool was already gone. So, there was no way to confirm anything. But
something was happening. He had felt a suspicious, skin-crawling sensation
along the way. He couldn't say why. Probably just a hunch. But those things could
sometimes be surprisingly accurate. That's why he had returned faster than
planned.
"Let me show you
an old man's determination to die...!!"
Without any luggage,
his body felt light! Laughing, the man ran. He was heading towards the capital
of Kasei.
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