Chapter 17 - Damn Reincarnation

The Treasury

Before congratulating Eugene, Gilead briefly turned his gaze to his own children.

Eward had not even made it halfway through the labyrinth. The various magical traps and monsters along the way had taken up far too much of his time. In all honesty, Gilead was not pleased.

His eldest son had been interested in magic from an early age. Magic of that caliber was not something one encountered often, so Gilead could understand his being blinded by curiosity. But... at this important Bloodline Succession Ceremony, he had let curiosity take precedence over proving his abilities. As both family head and father, Gilead could not help feeling disappointed.

By contrast, Ciel and Cyan gave him some measure of satisfaction. The siblings had reached the center without being significantly delayed by traps or monsters. Though they had failed to defeat the minotaur, that was simply because they were still inexperienced. What they lacked in experience could be made up for through learning.

"... You all did splendidly."

Gilead drew his gaze away from his own children. He nodded sincerely and smiled at the children gathered before him.

"I watched from here as you dealt with everything in the labyrinth. I thought it would be quite a difficult trial, but you all did very well."

"... Thank you."

Gargis, who had been staring at Eugene in astonishment, bowed his head. In truth, he felt a little ashamed. His desperate battle with the troll had kept him from even reaching the center.

Dezra and Cyan felt ashamed as well. Dezra had barely managed to fight the minotaur at all. Flustered by his inability to manifest sword aura, Cyan had put up a fight that even he found unsatisfactory.

"Eugene."

Eugene grinned at the sound of his name. Seeing Cyan's shoulders droop gave him great pleasure. There was something he wondered about, too.

Eward.

He had never once encountered the main family's eldest son in the labyrinth. Eward had seemed less skilled and confident than Eugene had expected, but he had never imagined the boy would fail to reach the center at all. Perhaps that was why Eward stood with his shoulders slumped, avoiding everyone's gaze.

"... It feels a little ridiculous to say this, but you were the most outstanding of the nine children who participated in this Bloodline Succession Ceremony."

"Thank you."

Eugene bowed his head, putting on a humble expression. He figured a modest show of deference would earn him more affection than acting too sure of himself.

"Your handling of the traps and monsters was flawless as well. In particular, unlike the other children, you fought the troll head-on... and came away without so much as a scratch."

'Good heavens.'

Those words made Gargis's shoulders twitch. He had fought that vicious troll without suffering a single injury? Unable to believe it, Gargis stole glances at Eugene.

'He's shorter than me, and his muscles are smaller. How is that possible?'

Incredible. Gargis's thoughts turned to admiration for Eugene. At the same time, he felt it was a shame.

'With our family's secret muscle-growth medicine, even that scrawny body could become absolutely magnificent.'

Another thought occurred to him.

'I'd win at arm wrestling.'

Gargis decided he would challenge Eugene to an arm-wrestling match later.

"To be honest, I expected you to spend two days wandering through the labyrinth."

Lovellian smiled without betraying his embarrassment. However talented they might be, these were children who were not even fifteen. What was more, none of them had ever experienced a labyrinth firsthand. He had expected the various obstacles to keep them wandering for more than a day.

'They truly are descendants of Vermouth the Great. I underestimated them.'

Of course, while that was embarrassing, it was not unpleasant. Merely seeing such radiant, unpolished gems of talent was a joy.

"Everyone except Eugene, return to your quarters and rest. I would love to hold a grand banquet this very evening... but I never expected you to finish so quickly, so I haven't had one prepared."

Gilead smiled and turned to Eugene.

"So rest well today, and we'll hold the banquet tomorrow. Eugene... come with me."

"Yes, sir."

"Are you giving him his present right now?"

Ciel's eyes sparkled with curiosity. Even members of the main family's bloodline could not enter the underground treasury as they pleased. Only the family head had unrestricted access. Since she was little, Ciel had pestered her father many times to let her see it, but despite doting on his daughter, Gilead had never taken her there—not even once.

"There's no reason to put it off, and the sooner I give it to him, the happier we'll both be."

Gilead spoke as he stroked Ciel's hair. In truth, he was curious himself about what Eugene would bring out of the treasury.

Lovellian personally escorted the other children back, while Eugene headed for the main family's mansion with Gilead. It was a fairly long walk, and Eugene was wondering whether he ought to make conversation when Gilead spoke.

"You're proficient with a number of weapons."

Gilead was the first to break the silence. He did not turn to Eugene, but the amusement in his voice made it easy to imagine the expression on his face.

"You're too kind."

"Not at all. I watched your performance in the labyrinth, and you seemed very skilled with a sword and shield. And you used a spear to defeat Cyan and Dezra, didn't you?"

Apparently, he had heard about the sparring match with Dezra as well. That was hardly surprising. The annex's servants had witnessed it, after all.

"Yes. I like spears because they're fun to use."

"And swords?"

"Swords are fun, too."

"What other weapons do you like?"

"Hmm... I like bows, too. Shooting from far away isn't much fun, but hitting a target from that far away is."

Eugene tried to speak like a child his age. In fact, he had once wondered whether he could simply reveal that he had been reincarnated with all the memories of his previous life, rather than going to these lengths.

But the more he considered it, the more awkward he thought his position would become if he revealed the truth. He was Hamel the Fool, reincarnated as a descendant of Vermouth. Who would immediately believe such an absurd story? Besides, he was reluctant to admit aloud that he had been reborn as Vermouth's descendant.

'It's fucking embarrassing.'

It might have been different if he had done so from the beginning. But he had already spent thirteen years pretending to be a child... If he revealed the truth now, he suspected people would look at him with pity. Eugene's pride could never stomach those looks.

'It sounds like it'd be a pain, too.'

Little was known for certain about the Hero's party's journey three hundred years ago. After abruptly abandoning their campaign against the Demon Kings and returning home, they had revealed little about their reasons or the details of their journey. By now, that damned storybook was the most famous of all the legends of the Hero circulating in the world.

Hamel the Fool had been reincarnated as a descendant of Vermouth the Great. If that became known, it would turn the world upside down. Eugene had no desire to deal with people rushing at him from all directions, demanding the truth.

And that was not the only reason.

Eugene—

Hamel would not tolerate the Demon Kings. That hate-filled vow had not changed, even after three hundred years.

Perhaps Hamel's reincarnation would stir the two Demon Kings of the demon realm, Helmuth, into action. For hundreds of years, they had sung the praises of peace, throwing Helmuth's borders wide open and even launching various tourism enterprises.

How would the Demon Kings, with their changed attitudes, treat a living witness to that bygone era? He had considered it many times, but he doubted they would treat him kindly. Even if they did, Eugene had no desire to accept their kindness.

"Today, the sword has come to symbolize our Lionheart family... but our ancestor, Vermouth the Great, was known as the God of War and the All-Master."

That was because, of all Vermouth's weapons, the Holy Sword had received particular attention in the stories.

"It's a good thing to know how to wield many weapons. Especially if you enjoy using them yourself. You could call that a blessing you were born with."

"Thank you."

"Of course, Lord Vermouth was not the only one proficient with a variety of weapons."

"... I've heard Lord Hamel used lots of weapons, too."

"Yes. Though Lord Vermouth was called the God of War, his companion, Lord Hamel, was said to be second only to him in skill."

"... Ahem. In the storybook I read, they mostly just called him Hamel the Fool."

"Haha! That can't be helped. I read that storybook as a child, too... but without Lord Hamel's troublemaking, it wouldn't have been very entertaining. What do you think of Lord Hamel?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"I'm simply asking your opinion. I... have liked Lord Hamel ever since I was a child."

Oh.

Eugene swallowed the exclamation that had almost escaped him without his realizing it.

"... Why?"

He could not openly show his delight.

"I preferred Lord Hamel's human side to Lord Vermouth's perfection. The storybook mentions it often, doesn't it? Lord Hamel repeatedly felt inferior to Lord Vermouth, but he never once let that defeat him."

'It defeated me plenty of times.'

"Instead, he spared no effort to overcome his shortcomings. And in the end, he sacrificed himself for his companions rather than choosing his own safety. Even now, I prefer Lord Hamel to my ancestor, Lord Vermouth."

The storybook emphasized that side of Hamel quite blatantly. It was meant to teach children an obvious lesson.

Children, no matter how talented the people around you may be, don't envy them too much. Instead, work on improving yourselves.

"... I like Lord Hamel, too."

Eugene answered with mixed feelings.

"Though I don't use lots of weapons because, well... I want to be like Lord Hamel or Lord Vermouth."

He added that excuse as well. There was no telling how Gilead interpreted it, but he laughed heartily and nodded.

"You're the first person other than a family head to enter the treasury—and an outsider at that."

They descended underground under the astonished gazes of the main family's servants. The stairway beneath the mansion went down a great distance, but glowing orbs mounted along the walls kept it from being dark.

"Am I really allowed to go in?"

"Of course. Didn't I promise to let you take one thing of your choosing? I've already discussed this with the esteemed elders of the Council."

Gilead continued down ahead of him as he spoke. The Council of Elders... Eugene smacked his lips. The old lions of Lionheart. Its members included former heads of the main family, along with towering figures of great renown from the collateral branches.

"What's in the treasury?"

"Various legacies accumulated over hundreds of years. Quite a few belonged to our ancestor, Vermouth the Great."

"Really? Then the Holy Sword must be there, too?"

"It is... but you won't be able to take it."

Gilead looked back at Eugene with a wry smile, as though he had expected that question.

"The Holy Sword is also a symbol of Lionheart. It isn't a sword any one person can own. We use it in ceremonies, such as the succession of a new family head."

"Aww..."

"And that isn't the only reason. Since Vermouth the Great, no one has ever earned the Holy Sword's recognition."

"Recognition?"

"Hmm... Rather than having me explain it, you should try holding it yourself. You'll understand immediately."

At the bottom of the stairs stood an enormous, elaborately decorated door. Gilead raised his hand before it. A red bead of blood welled up on the fingertip he had cut with his nail.

"Wait a moment."

He extended his bleeding finger toward the door handle. It was shaped like a lion's face with its mouth open. The lion drank the flowing blood and closed its mouth, and the engravings adorning the door writhed. All of it formed a barrier imbued with powerful magic. Eugene stepped back a few paces and watched the door move.

"Are you coming in with me, sir?"

"There's no need. I'll wait outside, so choose what you want and come out."

The door opened.

"You won't be able to open this door from inside on your own. Once you've made your choice, knock loudly. I'll open it for you."

"Then why don't you just come in with me?"

"That does sound rather enjoyable... but if I go in with you, I might find myself giving unsolicited advice about your choice. I want to respect your decision. Besides, I suspect you'd feel self-conscious with me there."

He was being considerate in his own way. Eugene smiled brightly and nodded. Despite what he had said, he was inwardly delighted that Gilead would not be joining him. He wanted to look at and handle all sorts of things. Honestly, if Gilead came along, he would inevitably feel self-conscious about doing so.

"But, sir, what if I hide one under my clothes and come out carrying several things?"

It was a brazen, rude question that only a thirteen-year-old child could get away with asking. So Eugene merely blinked his innocent eyes without a hint of malice. Whether his face actually looked that way was another matter, but that was the expression he deliberately aimed for.

"That wouldn't do."

Gilead answered with a smile, taking no offense.

"If you did that, I would have no choice but to scold you. And the treasures in there are securely guarded by magic, so whatever you brought out, you would be caught."

"Aha."

'Thought so.'

Eugene voiced his understanding without disappointment.

"Still, let me offer one piece of advice. Don't hurry. Take your time and choose a weapon you can use for the rest of your life. In your case, rather than focusing on its capabilities... I think you should choose whatever catches your eye and draws your heart."

"Yes, sir."

Gilead stepped aside from the treasury door. Nodding, Eugene approached it with hesitant steps.

"Thank you."

For now, he expressed his gratitude politely. Gilead smiled and patted Eugene on the shoulder. The discussion about adoption lingered in his mind. But there was no need to bring it up right away, nor was it a matter to rush.

The treasury door closed.

Only then could Eugene let out a relieved breath and change his expression. Patting his cheeks, which ached from smiling so much, he swept his gaze around the treasury.

"... Wow."

A smile he had not deliberately put on spread across his face. Grinning broadly, Eugene approached the center of the treasury.

Vermouth's Holy Sword.

That magnificent golden sword stood in the center of the treasury.