Chapter 35 - My Death Is (2)

"Sword Star...?"

The Paladin furrowed her brow.

"What business do you have here?"

She could hardly have expected to meet the Sword Star in an alley like this. An unexpected place, an unexpected person. His presence was too ominous to dismiss the encounter as mere coincidence.

"Your hearing is already failing you, young lady."

After all, the old man was directing his killing intent at me.

"I told you to step aside. I have business with the man standing there."

"Such harsh words. Are you saying you wish to speak with Hunter Kim Gongja alone?"

"Hah. I have no interest in what that fellow's name might be."

"..."

The atmosphere in the alley changed completely.

The Paladin no longer frowned. She simply stared at the Sword Star, her face expressionless. Her wariness was unmistakable. This formidable hunter, who had risen to second-in-command of the massive Vigilante Guild, was now certain: the elderly swordsman had not approached with friendly intentions.

"Step aside," the Sword Star said.

"I've told you three times already."

"If saying it once doesn't work, saying it three times won't work either. Nor will thirty. Sword Star, has age made you forget even the simplest truths of life?"

The Paladin slowly placed a hand on her sword hilt.

"Hunter Kim Gongja has formally joined the Five Great Guilds, including the Vigilantes. Attacking him is no different from declaring war on all five. I don't know what you're thinking... but don't expect the Vigilantes to stand idly by."

"Ha!"

The Sword Star scoffed.

"Just as I thought. The guilds are all in on it together. I knew it."

"... In on what? You're making less sense by the moment."

The tension in the alley grew uglier with every passing moment.

"Sword Star, we've received enough reports to know you occasionally engage in [human hunting]. Of course, the Vigilantes aren't so idle that we can meddle in your personal beliefs. But if you intend to hunt someone right in front of me, that's another matter."

"And what of it?"

"I'll stake my life on stopping you."

"Are you confident you can?"

"No."

The Paladin stared at the old man without expression.

"I'll fight you with everything I have, and I'll die. The moment I do, you'll become nothing more than a piece-of-shit murderer who slaughtered an innocent person. Sword Star, if you want to spend the rest of your life as a murderer, come at me."

"..."

"You can't have much of that life left anyway. I'll drag it into the gutter."

The Sword Star's aged face twisted.

It was evening already. The sun was quickly setting over the alley. Farther down, we could hear people coming and going, but there was no one here except us. Silence settled between the Sword Star and the Paladin as they faced each other.

This very silence.

'Yes.'

I'd brought the Paladin to create exactly this silence.

'The Sword Star is powerless against innocent people.'

And the Paladin was probably the only innocent executive among the major guilds.

During the previous run, when the Sword Star tried to kill me on the twelfth floor, she had taken the initiative to mediate between us. He had made a telling remark and readily entrusted her with that role.

["Ah, the young Paladin."]

["You're the only person here who has never harmed a single person. Very well. I'll trust you too."]

The words had slipped by as though they were nothing special.

But they hadn't escaped my ears.

In other words:

'The Paladin's kill count reads [0].'

However brutal the Sword Star's moral code might be... no, precisely because it was so extreme, he could only see the Paladin as a good person.

'The Sword Star can never harm her.'

It was a kind of matchup advantage.

To the wicked, he was a terrifying killer. But to the good, he was merely a harmless old man.

And besides...

'It isn't just the Paladin.'

STEP.

Someone stepped out in front of us. The apothecary. Frozen until now by the successive appearances of the Paladin and the Sword Star, she finally managed to take a step and spread her arms.

"E-excuse me!"

The apothecary spoke. Her teeth chattered with nerves. Pressing her lips together again and again, she forced the words out in broken bursts.

"I have no idea what's going on... but this c-customer here! He's my benefactor!"

The hunter who would one day rise to become the Alchemy Ministry's Guild Leader.

The Alchemy Ministry Head.

That hunter, whose future success was assured, spoke with all her might.

"Babylon doesn't have laws like the outside world... but protecting customers is a shopkeeper's duty... and even if you are the Sword Star! I won't let you harm a customer of mine!"

"..."

"J-just a few days ago, thugs made trouble here too! I'm sorry, but please leave my storefront! This is a formal request for you to leave!"

The apothecary shouted. If she faced the Sword Star in combat, she would lose her head in less than a second. And yet, despite that, it was his threatening presence that weakened.

For exactly the same reason.

'The Saintess, the Paladin, and the Alchemy Ministry Head.'

All three were hunters renowned for their kindness even in the future.

'When the Flame Emperor set the slums on fire, the Paladin and the Alchemy Ministry Head were the first to reach the scene.'

Good people.

People who lived with a little more loss than others, endured a little more stress, and were treated as suckers by many because of it.

But the only people who could stop the number-one hunter, the Sword Star... were good people like them.

There was no one else.

"What will you do?" the Paladin asked.

"If you want to fall into the gutter, I'll gladly oblige."

"..."

The Sword Star hesitated for a long while. If I was right, the outcome was already decided.

And I was right.

Before long, the elderly swordsman took his hand off his sword hilt.

"... Today simply wasn't the day."

He withdrew his killing intent.

Even as he turned to leave, the old man kept glaring at me.

"Pray you never cross my path. If not for the young Paladin and that shopkeeper, your head would already be lying in the street."

Good.

Second condition cleared.

Now I'd prevented him from immediately drawing his sword the moment he saw me. Even if he killed me, I could at least exchange a word or two with him first.

That brief opening was exactly what I needed.

"Sword Star!"

I shouted before he could turn away completely.

"I'll be waiting in the clearing north of the city tomorrow at noon!"

"..."

"You can come or not, as you please. I'll be waiting alone. I mean it! If you want to know what kind of person I am, please come tomorrow at noon!"

The old man turned his head slightly and glared at me. His blue eyes examined every inch of my face. But that was all. Without giving any particular answer, the Sword Star quietly left the alley.

STEP. STEP.

Only after his footsteps faded and finally disappeared did the Paladin sigh.

"Whew! That took ten years off my life. Meeting a killer out of nowhere on a night like this."

A killer.

"... Is the Sword Star known for being a killer?"

"Not widely. But at least the Five Great Guild Leaders know about it."

The Paladin shook her head.

"They say he lost his daughter to a murderer when he lived in the outside world. He hardly ever talks about himself, so I don't know the details."

"..."

"I don't know if that's why, but he shows murderers no mercy. He's ruthless. Still, there's no evidence, so we're effectively looking the other way... Mm, needless to say, this is confidential."

The attendant spirit floated in front of me.

"That's right. Old Markus told me once. A serial killer murdered his daughter and son-in-law. Apparently, only his granddaughter and grandson barely survived."

'Why are you only telling me this now?'

"Huh? What are you talking about? You never asked."

The attendant spirit said it shamelessly.

Right. That was the sort of man he was.

"Well, it's not as though I can't understand how the Sword Star feels."

With a bitter expression, the Paladin looked around.

A shabby alley.

The city's slums stretched out like shadows against the sunset.

"Working for the Vigilantes, you meet all sorts of criminals. Once you talk to them, you often wonder whether people like that should really be allowed to live. Kill those who deserve death before they can do anything else... Even I sometimes feel that temptation."

The Paladin murmured.

"All the major Guild Leaders have complicated histories of their own. Kim Gongja, now that you're one of us, you'll gradually learn about them... There are so many places rotten enough to give off a truly revolting stench. I wonder how you'll react... Hmm."

She shook her head. Perhaps she thought she'd told an outsider too much.

"We've gotten off track."

She deliberately brightened her voice a little.

"So, how much are the potions here? The Vigilantes are always short on funds, so it'll be a problem if they're too expensive..."

4

The next day.

Standing alone in a desolate clearing, I looked at my smartphone.

The field rarely saw visitors to begin with, and now there wasn't a single person around. Naturally. Babylon's hunters were all gathering in the square to celebrate.

It was much like the previous run.

'But some things have changed.'

I glanced at the news on my phone's screen.

- [Breaking] Floor Eleven a Group Battle? All Black Dragon Executives Assemble.

- Major Guilds Hastily Form Raid Teams Ahead of Festival...

- Exclusive Interview with the Inquisitor! "Anyone Hoping to Clear Floor Eleven Must Form a Proper Team."

- Another Backroom Deal Between the Major Guilds?

- Source of Information Remains a Mystery...

Yes.

The world had changed a little.

Because of none other than me.

"..."

And it would change a little more.

"Hmm."

The Sword Star slowly approached from across the field. Was it because he wore a black suit? The sky behind him looked particularly blue. From the distant city, I could faintly hear people's cheers.

[00:01:31]

The clock of light floated serenely overhead.

The blue sky, the people's voices, the clock of light.

Leaving all of them behind him, the Sword Star approached me.

"You really are alone."

He stopped.

"Are you confident you can face me on your own? Well, an assassin who has committed that much slaughter would certainly have reason to trust his abilities."

His eyes.

The old man's gaze felt quite unfamiliar. It was completely different from the previous run. Back then, our eyes had held mutual trust and respect.

Now, there was neither.

Distrust. Hostility.

It was simply the gaze one turned on a murderer.

"Zombie?"

'...'

"Are you okay?"

I nodded inwardly.

'Yes, I'm okay.'

My heart just hurt a little.

"Sword Star."

I steadied myself.

"There's something important I want to tell you."

"Speak. I'll hear your last words."

"I know why you're trying to kill me."

The corners of his mouth lifted.

"Indeed. A guilty conscience needs no accuser. You know your own crimes."

"It's because of the skill called [Detective's Insight], isn't it?"

"..."

His expression instantly stiffened.

"How did you... learn about that?"

"Please believe what I'm about to tell you."

As I spoke, I thought about how difficult it was to earn someone's trust.

Everyone had something they stubbornly clung to. For the Sword Star, that was [Detective's Insight]. An ability that showed another person's kill count. He simply ignored the possibility that it might be wrong, that it might make some kind of error.

That was what made it stubbornness.

The old man before me had lived by that stubborn conviction all this time.

For someone who had lived that way, life and conviction could not be separated. They were intertwined. To abandon that conviction was, in their mind, to abandon their life.

'I have to persuade someone like that.'

I even had to make him trust me.

I had to convince the person before me to reject the life he had lived until now.

Thinking about it again, how difficult was that?

'But... I can do it.'

I clenched my fist.

'I just have to stake my life too.'

I spoke.

"Sword Star, I'm a prophet."

"What?"

"More precisely, I have a skill that works like prophecy. Thanks to it, I know you have [Detective's Insight]. If I do nothing, you'll kill me, and I'll ask why on earth I have to die."

"..."

"Then you'll tell me you have a skill called [Detective's Insight], and that according to it, the number [4093] is floating above my head."

It was a small lie.

But right now, I had to persuade him even if it meant lying.

I knew the future.

Only if the Sword Star trusted that fact could we safely clear the twelfth floor.

[00:00:00]

Before I knew it, the clock in the sky had reached zero. Celebratory fireworks burst over the distant city. Faint cheers hailed the dawn of a new era.

The old man and I.

Only the two of us stood a step apart from the festivities, looking at each other.

After a long silence, the Sword Star spoke.

"... Guess."

"Pardon?"

"I'm hiding my left hand behind my back. I'm holding up some fingers. Guess how many. If you're truly a prophet, you should have no trouble finding out."

Okay.

So this was how he would respond.

Just as I'd expected.

"If you fail to guess correctly, I'll consider it proof that you dared to lie—"

The Sword Star was probably fully prepared for any attack I might launch. A surprise attack, an item, a skill—whatever I used, he would have blocked it with ease.

But he could not have expected something like this.

Before he could finish speaking, I drew a dagger. He flinched. And as the old man took a defensive stance against an attack, I stabbed my own throat without hesitation.

"What?"

His eyes widened.

The elderly swordsman had only prepared for me to attack him. He had never imagined I would stab myself in the throat. A momentary lapse. One second. Thanks to that, I was able to kill myself.

And then.

[You have died.]

[Regressing twenty-four hours.]

One second was all I needed.

I began the day again.

I came down from the tenth-floor stage and met the major Guild Leaders. Played poker. Won. Asked the Paladin to accompany me into the alley. Encountered the Sword Star. The Paladin and the apothecary defended me. He withdrew, and I shouted for him to meet me tomorrow at noon.

[00:00:00]

And once again, I stood at this moment.

The Sword Star said exactly what he had said yesterday.

"... Guess."

The same test as the previous run.

But my response was different. When he said, "Guess," I didn't stupidly ask, "Pardon?" Instead, I answered as though I had expected it.

"You're about to hide your left hand behind your back."

"..."

"Then you'll hold up some fingers and ask me to guess how many. Thinking that if I'm truly a prophet, I should have no trouble finding out."

His face stiffened a little more.

"Sword Star, please believe me. I've acquired something like a prophecy skill. Killing me here would be simple. But if you do, we won't be able to clear the twelfth-floor stage safely. Countless people will lose their lives."

"... One moment. Wait."

The Sword Star spoke.

"This alone isn't sufficient proof. You could have [X-ray Vision] or [Mind Reading] rather than prophecy. What guarantee is there that you're truly a prophet—"

Right.

Once wouldn't be enough.

I'd already prepared myself for this too.

[You have died.]

[Regressing twenty-four hours.]

Persuading a person could never be easy.

Especially an old man who had reached the pinnacle of his field.

"This alone isn't sufficient proof. Rather than prophecy—"

"Rather than prophecy, you suspect I might have [X-ray Vision] or [Mind Reading]. You're wondering what guarantee there is that I'm truly a prophet."

But that was fine.

If you want to test me, keep testing me.

[You have died.]

[Regressing twenty-four hours.]

If you want to doubt me, doubt me all you like.

[You have died.]

[Regressing twenty-four hours.]

It doesn't matter whether it takes a week or a fortnight.

[You have died.]

[Regressing twenty-four hours.]

I'm confident I can persuade you.

My death is longer than your life.

"..."

At last, the Sword Star closed his mouth.

Every suspicion and doubt he had was anticipated and overturned.

I spoke calmly.

"Sword Star, please believe me."

"..."

"You mustn't kill me here. There will be countless casualties on the twelfth floor. It's true. I'm not trying to tell you I'm innocent, nor am I asking you to spare me forever."

"... Then?"

"Five days."

I held up my fingers.

"Please don't kill me for just the next five days. Follow me around, watch me with your own eyes, and decide for yourself whether I really deserve to die."

The Sword Star remained silent.

Without needing to raise my dagger and stab my throat again, I knew he was conflicted. This was the moment for a final blow.

And I knew exactly what that final blow should be.

"You still don't believe me."

"..."

"Later, far in the future, you tell me a certain phrase. You say that if I say it, you'll believe I'm truly a prophet."

"... What is it?"

I answered.

"Sword Emperor."

The old man's eyes widened.

Regardless, I continued.

"I don't know whose title it is, but you said those words alone would make you believe me."

"..."

Silence descended.

Cheers still rang out from the distant city. I could even glimpse the goddess's manifested form delivering a lengthy speech.

As she disappeared, the elderly swordsman finally managed to speak.

"Did you say five days, young man?"

"Yes."

"Very well."

The Sword Star looked into my eyes.

"For the next five days, I will follow you. I will watch every word, every action, every attitude and gesture without overlooking a thing. Then I shall judge whether you deserve to die, or whether you truly approached me because you are a prophet."

"..."

"Will that do?"

Good.

"... Yes. That will do. It's enough."

I bowed deeply.

"Thank you. Truly."

I'd cleared every condition.

First, secure promises from the Guild Leaders.

Second, keep the Sword Star from killing me on sight.

Third, earn his trust, at least for the time being.

'At last.'

Now, at last, the Guild Leaders and the Sword Star would not turn against one another when we reached the twelfth floor.

They would no longer fight because of pointless mutual suspicion.

Nor would innocent hunters be killed.

"Then, Sword Star. I'll see you on the next stage."

I spoke through the tightness in my throat.

He was watching me with a peculiar look in his eyes, but I had no time to worry about that now. I had to do what needed doing.

"Teleport."

White light burst forth and enveloped me.

Feeling my heart pound, I thought:

'All that's left now is to hunt the Demon King.'

The world had changed.

'Just you wait, Demon King.'

And it would change a little more.