Chapter 48 - How to Face the World (2)

3

My attendant spirit.

The so-called Sword Emperor was the sort of man you might get if you mixed equal parts psychopath and preachy old geezer, then shook them together. Thanks to that golden ratio, 99% of what he told me was either insane or useless.

"When you swing a sword, your actual skill isn't the only thing that matters."

In other words, the remaining 1% contained the distilled essence of psychopath and old geezer.

"Faith! Confidence! Believing in yourself is what matters most."

The attendant spirit assumed a solemn expression.

"The same goes for bullshit!"

Truly, a pronouncement steeped in life experience!

"To fool someone else, you first have to fool yourself! Believe your own bullshit. Have confidence! No matter how plausible your bullshit is, they won't believe it if you deliver it without confidence. But no matter how absurd it is, confidence alone can suck them in."

'Really?'

"I've done it plenty of times, so I know!"

Perhaps the ratio of psychopath to old geezer was more like six to four.

"Of course, if it's 100% lies, neither they nor you can believe it. So mix some truth into your bullshit! Mix 10% truth with 90% bullshit!"

'Mix them?'

"Yep. That's the beauty of bullshit. Once you believe that 10% truth, the remaining 90% bullshit flows out all on its own!"

I see.

"Remember, Zombie. Bullshit is confidence!"

"Hmm."

I looked ahead. Armies had gathered from all across the continent to hunt down the Demon King Estelle... The soldiers of the Aegim Empire, who formed their vanguard, and the general commanding those soldiers were watching me.

Unless I fooled them, I would be the one in danger.

"The founding emperor's heir..."

"But that sword certainly is..."

"Why would his heir be somewhere like this?"

They murmured among themselves. Some soldiers cast suspicious glances at me. The Aegim imperial troops had obediently bowed their heads, but that was all. Soldiers belonging to other factions looked thoroughly unconvinced. Was the Holy Guardian Sword's magic only effective on the imperial army, after all?

"B-but, heir to the founding emperor...?"

The commander of that very army cautiously studied my expression.

"Might this ignorant descendant ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"As I explained, we have come today to subjugate the witch. But what has brought the founding emperor's heir here...?"

I closed my eyes for a moment.

'Bullshit is confidence.'

Then I snapped them open and shouted.

"Soldiers! I have already subjugated the witch!"

Infused with aura, my voice thundered along the acacia-lined forest path.

General Sarbas Aegim flinched.

"Y-you have? You've already subjugated her? What do you..."

"Look here!"

I stepped aside, revealing Hungry Ghost, who had been hiding behind me. Apparently they already knew what Estelle looked like, because several people recognized her and shouted.

"I-it's Estelle!"

"The witch of the west!"

"I've seen her before! That's definitely her!"

"Burn the witch to death!"

Hungry Ghost flinched with a little squeak.

Ignoring it, I spoke.

"Hungry Ghost."

"Yes...?"

"Come here and kneel before them."

"..."

A firm command.

Reduced to one of my hundred ghosts, Hungry Ghost had no power to disobey. She staggered over and knelt.

That was not the end.

"Lower your head."

She lowered her head.

"Put your hands on the ground."

"..."

Hungry Ghost planted her trembling hands on the ground. Was it anger? Or humiliation? Her cheeks were deeply sunken, as though she had clenched her teeth so hard that she had bitten her tongue. A moment later, blood trickled from her lips, ran along her jaw, and dripped off.

"Press your forehead to the earth."

"Ugh..."

She obeyed.

The soldiers held their breath as they watched the former Demon King strike her forehead against the ground. A little more anger and humiliation entered her breathing. Even so, she obeyed my commands to protect her little paradise.

In a way, it was a noble sight.

I solemnly gave her another order.

"From that position, push off the ground with both feet and execute a forward roll."

Silence.

For a moment, stillness settled over the acacia-lined path.

"... What?"

Hungry Ghost turned her head and looked up at me, her expression asking whether she had misheard.

I frowned.

"Didn't you hear me?"

"Uh, um...?"

"Execute a forward roll at once!"

Hungry Ghost flinched and reluctantly obeyed. In other words, she put both hands on the ground and rolled forward once.

Over she went!

Her small body rolled along the path, and her blond hair, longer than her body, fluttered out and swept up the acacia petals on the ground. Even after completing the roll, she still looked utterly bewildered.

"Hmm."

I nodded.

"Now do a handstand."

"..."

Hungry Ghost looked back at me again, her gaze questioning the mental state of her new master.

Naturally, I did not so much as twitch an eyebrow.

"Get into that handstand at once!"

"Eek."

Trembling, Hungry Ghost placed both hands on the ground. She slowly tried to get into a handstand, then cried, "Ow!" and flopped over, apparently lacking the strength. "Owww..." Looking ready to cry, she flailed as though swimming on bare earth.

Regardless, I continued issuing orders in a stern voice.

"Perform twenty jumping jacks!"

"Ten squats. Begin!"

"Immediately follow those with ten push-ups!"

"I command twenty sit-ups!"

"Hold a plank for twenty seconds!"

A little later.

"I-I can't do any more, my lord... My body, my body won't mooove..."

The former Demon King lay sprawled out, unable to twitch even a fingertip.

Tears glistened in both her eyes.

"Hmm."

I turned to Sarbas Aegim.

"Do you understand now?"

Sarbas Aegim stood slack-jawed. In fact, his soldiers wore much the same expression. The armies of the continent stared dumbfounded at Hungry Ghost, who looked ready to cry like nothing more than a frail little child.

"H-heir, what in the world..."

"As I said."

I hardened my gaze.

"The witch has already been subjugated by me. Whatever may happen, she can no longer defy my commands!"

"Naturally," I added, "she can no longer harm the people of this continent, either. Soldiers, you may put all your fears concerning the witch to rest!"

The soldiers stirred. As the rank and file wavered, their leaders grew confused as well.

"Hmm, if the heir... says so..."

"No, wait a moment!"

Sarbas Aegim, obedient to the holy sword's authority, seemed determined to believe me somehow. Most of the other commanders, however, wore expressions that said, What the hell is this bullshit?

The paladin commander even stepped forward and shouted.

"What in the world are you doing! We came to subjugate the witch."

"But the founding emperor's heir has told us that the witch has already been subjugated..."

"How can you believe that!"

"H-how can you not believe it? You saw the witch faithfully carry out those... whatever they were, that the founding emperor's heir commanded!"

Sarbas Aegim snapped back instead. The holy sword's power really was remarkable.

Looking ready to jump out of his skin with frustration, the paladin commander actually hopped as he shouted.

"I'm asking how you can believe that... No, no. In the first place! Isn't that one sword your only proof that this young man is the heir of the Great Founding Emperor of the East!? All this time, over a mere sword..."

"A-a mere sword?"

Sarbas Aegim raised his voice.

"One sword! Good heavens, are you questioning the authority of His Majesty the founding emperor, who built this empire? That holy sword is the very proof that we enjoy the goddess's favor. How dare you!"

The paladin commander flinched.

"No, General. Calm yourself... All I meant to say was..."

"The founding emperor set out into the wilderness with that sword in hand! He raced across the plains, left his footprints in every city, climbed the volcano, descended the waterfall, crossed the forest, and pierced the mountain ranges! At last, facing the sea, he founded the empire to stand watch over the sun! All your ancestors stood with him, so all of you are in his debt! And you call it a 'mere' sword!"

"No, that isn't what I meant..."

"Then what in the world did you mean!"

"H-His Holiness the Pope gave me orders. He sternly commanded me to subjugate that wicked witch without fail... And now, because of a few words like that..."

The imperial general finally roared.

"A few words like that! It seems you place the likes of the Pope's orders above the founding emperor's heir!"

Wow.

"W-what..."

The paladin's mouth opened and closed. It took precisely two seconds for his bewilderment to evolve into fury.

"How dare you question the temple's authority!"

"You questioned the Holy Guardian Sword's authority first!"

"Oh, fine! I understand! Apparently the empire's Third Prince, whom you serve, has no need for His Holiness's declaration of support!"

"Ha! What worth is such a declaration? The founding emperor's heir has already appeared and subjugated the witch. With the goddess's favor watching over the empire and its state, what does it matter!"

"Then that is truly the will of the Third Prince's faction!"

The imperial general and the temple paladin argued at the tops of their lungs.

Inwardly, I smiled in satisfaction.

'Very good.'

There was one thing you always had to watch out for when several groups came together.

The moment a conflict surfaced, even once, they would race headlong toward collapse.

'I don't even have to look far for an example.'

When we hunters reached the twelfth floor, coincidentally, we had also been divided into exactly eight factions.

Me, the Sword Star, and each of the five major guild leaders. Then the minor faction made up of those ranked eighth through tenth in contribution.

We had joined forces under the public goal of conquering the Tower, but we were never one solid whole.

There were accumulated grievances between us. There was mistrust.

That was why the introduction of just one variable, the [Demon King's Reward], had sent us into such a pathetic collapse.

「Warriors. You who climb the Tower.」

I recalled what the goddess's hologram had said the moment the eleventh floor opened.

「From the eleventh floor to the twentieth, you will face a trial. A trial of faith.」

I grinned inwardly.

That oh-so-grand trial of faith.

'Shouldn't the Tower's residents experience it too, not just the hunters?'

Wouldn't that make the world a little fairer?

4

As the empire and the temple plunged headlong into their [Trial of Faith], the other factions began joining in, one after another, unwilling to be outdone.

"Sigh. Everyone... This is hardly the time."

The elf ranger captain from the forest of the fae sighed.

"Shouldn't we verify more conclusively whether the witch really is under that young man's control? Foolish humans you may be, but please learn to choose the proper time and place."

It was impossible to tell whether that tone was meant to stop the fight or fan its flames.

Naturally, it helped not at all.

"If I may add one thing, yes. Isn't the temple contradicting itself? The Holy Guardian Sword of Aegim's founding emperor was bestowed by the Goddess of Protection whom your temple worships. Doesn't questioning the holy sword's authority mean questioning the goddess's authority? This is why short-lived humans are so utterly foolish..."

"What? Is that how the elves see us!"

"This is why those big-eared bastards and bitches can't be trusted!"

In fact, it only made things worse.

"What are the temple and the empire doing! We came to honor a noble pact, and you engage in this petty squabble before us!"

The dragon cavalry commander from the volcano bellowed.

"Settle it with a duel, like warriors! What else are your weapons for!"

These guys were simply single-celled organisms.

Among our hunters... Yes, they were Viper, the Heavenly Martial Sect's leader.

"We of the League of Free Cities believe both the empire's sword and the temple's hammer are in the right. However, one may be more right than the other. If you have any offers to make, we shall listen with open minds."

"This is why you farming losers... Ugh, so when can we pillage that village? You said we could, didn't you? That's why we bothered coming all this way."

"E-everyone. Everyone... The witch's lair is right before us..."

The armed merchants were openly playing the [Make Me an Offer] card, while the nomads' female chieftain grumbled as she soothed her horses.

Only the lords of the small states fretted. Nearest to Hungry Ghost's paradise, they had been the initial spark, desperately seeking its destruction.

The situation was truly on the verge of exploding.

"Hah!"

Meanwhile, the Sword Emperor and I had grown correspondingly more relaxed.

The attendant spirit folded his arms and nodded.

"Now I understand why Hungry Ghost made the hunters fight each other. Turning people against each other has its own special kick!"

'Agreed.'

Honestly, this was incredibly entertaining.

Of course, their ranks were not filled exclusively with trolls.

"Sigh. Everyone, please step aside!"

Someone equivalent to our so-called 'deputy leader of the Vigilantes.' A mediator. Naturally, there was someone willing to step forward and try to rein in a situation racing toward chaos and destruction.

A lizardfolk mage from the mermaids' waterfall took a step forward.

"As I see it, the issues at hand are ultimately simple. That..."

The lizardfolk mage pointed at me with a webbed finger.

"...young man truly being the founding emperor's heir. That woman truly being the witch. And the founding emperor's heir truly having subjugated the witch and taken her into his service. Verify those points, and the matter is settled."

The temple's paladin commander, exhausted from arguing with the imperial general, frowned.

"And how do you propose to verify them?"

"Don't worry. I have just the means."

The lizardfolk mage slipped her webbed hand inside her clothes. When it emerged, she held a blue orb that looked like the deep sea condensed into a jewel.

"This is the Jewel of Souls, bestowed by the mermaids' wise sovereign."

The lizardfolk mage was exceedingly serious. Her voice suggested that she was about to reveal an immensely precious treasure, and that witnessing it was the good fortune of a lifetime.

"Let a drop of blood fall upon it, and it reveals whether the blood's owner possesses a [Good Soul] or an [Evil Soul]. For a good soul, the jewel emits a brilliant white light. For an evil soul, it turns black."

Hmm.

'So it's something like the Vigilante leader's [Lie Detector] and the Sword Star's [Detective's Insight]?'

"Yeah. Looks that way. Demi-humans are good at making mash-ups like that."

The attendant spirit and I remained perfectly calm. A jewel bestowed by the mermaid sovereign sounded grand enough... but it was nothing particularly new to us.

Apparently unaware of our thoughts, the lizardfolk mage brimmed with confidence.

"Now! If that woman truly is the witch of the borderlands, and you truly are the founding emperor's heir, submit to this jewel's test!"

She raised the jewel.

"The evil you have committed. The good deeds you have accumulated. The jewel shall bear witness to it all!"

"Very well."

I readily nodded.

"Test me all you wish."

"Have no regrets. As I said, the jewel will expose your soul exactly as it is."

"Your tongue is not only forked, but long as well. Getting nervous?"

The lizardfolk mage's serpentine eyes narrowed.

"I pray that confidence isn't mere bravado. First, then, I shall examine that woman's soul."

She strode toward us, seized Hungry Ghost's wrist, and raked a sharpened nail across her palm.

Blood seeped from the cut.

"Eek."

Hungry Ghost's shoulders flinched. Dark red drops trickled down, falling one by one and soaking into the mermaid sovereign's jewel.

The color surged through it!

The jewel turned black in an instant.

"Oh no!"

"Good heavens."

The commanders watching the soul's trial recoiled in horror. The color staining the jewel was no ordinary black. It was a shade that made one imagine a bottomless abyss. Pitch-black shadows writhed as though a black serpent were hissing within.

"Such an evil soul...!"

Even the lizardfolk mage conducting the test swallowed hard.

"It is almost beyond belief. How many evil deeds and killings must she have committed...? Such a thing must not exist in this world. A truly accursed being... She is undoubtedly the witch!"

She dropped Hungry Ghost's wrist, hastily letting go as though avoiding filthy water. Her serpentine eyes held enormous contempt for Hungry Ghost, matched by an almost equal fear.

"No, not even a witch. She is undoubtedly a Demon King!"

"..."

Hungry Ghost hunched her shoulders a little more.

The atmosphere changed. Was it because the lizardfolk mage had publicly declared Hungry Ghost's identity? The soldiers' murmuring subsided. The commanders stopped arguing and glared menacingly at Hungry Ghost. She shrank further under their gazes, then quietly backed away and hid behind me.

"Now, it is your turn."

Everyone's eyes naturally gathered on me.

The lizardfolk mage extended her long nails.

"Self-proclaimed heir to the founding emperor, are you mentally prepared?"

"I am always prepared."

"All your bravado is useless... Now, give me your hand."

I willingly offered my left hand. A sharp sting! Where the lizardfolk's nail passed, my flesh opened like a gill.

Red blood seeped through the opening. My blood quietly dripped onto the jewel, which Hungry Ghost's blood had stained pitch-black.

And then.

"Ah...?"

There was light.

"H-huh...?"

The black aura vanished from the jewel as though washed away. That was not all. Pure white light gathered and gathered, growing brighter, until it finally burst outward in an explosive radiance.

A blinding flash!

In an instant, the acacia-lined path was lit white. Small cries broke out here and there. Startled soldiers squeezed their eyes shut, and commanders shielded their faces with their palms.

The lizardfolk mage holding the jewel was no exception.

"H-how..."

She gaped, utterly dazed.

"Wait, what in the world is this soul...?"

"What in the world is going on!"

The temple's paladin commander shouted.

"Droplet sent by the wise sovereign! Why is the jewel emitting such light!"

"His soul..."

Without even turning toward the paladin, the mage murmured.

"How can it be so... Just how many lives must he have saved for it to be so pure white? This... This is truly..."

"Ah," said the lizardfolk mage.

"He is... light itself...!"

That's right.

I was light.