Translator: Alpha0210
Residue rambled on, improvising the story as he went. He had decided that precision didn't matter much for the lies he was spinning right now. Sedi was inherently suspicious and sharp-witted. Against someone like her, fabricating everything from start to finish would only backfire.
Then what about mixing one lie into nine truths, as he usually did? That didn't seem like much of a plan either. Fundamentally, she was doubting every single word coming out of Residue's mouth right now.
So he had resolved to simply talk without structure. Without distinguishing truth from fiction. Muddled enough that even Residue himself couldn't tell one from the other.
A child who appeared out of nowhere one day,
A mysterious girl with hair and eyes that were the spitting image of Lukas's.
In truth, he had no choice but to be vague when it came to her identity, because even Residue didn't fully understand Luca's true nature.
Of course, he knew she was the First Destruction, and he had come to understand why she called herself "Luca," but there were still unsettling aspects that kept him from believing that was all there was to her.
"...So, you're saying she's with the Blue Knight now."
"That's right."
"Hmph."
Sedi twisted the corner of her lip coldly.
He didn't know the exact reason, but hers was not a pleased expression.
"What. Is there a problem?"
"Problem? Hardly. The woman who kept clinging to me, going on about me being her daughter and whatnot, took herself out of my hair. I couldn't be happier."
Oh ho.
Come to think of it, the Blue Knight Pale had made her move on Sedi Trowman after learning about the relationship between Sedi and Lukas. He didn't know the full story, but it seemed she had put on quite the show trying to be treated as a mother figure.
From Sedi's perspective, it must have been thoroughly unpleasant.
But looking at her expression now, this was not the face of someone genuinely glad that Pale had backed off. It wasn't loneliness, or anything like that. If he had to put a word to it, it was more like wounded pride?
That made sense.
When someone latches onto you one-sidedly and then drops you on a whim, claiming they've lost interest, what you feel isn't relief but something more like a bad aftertaste. She might even feel insulted, as if she had been treated like some kind of substitute.
'This could work in my favor.'
The greater Sedi's anger toward the Blue Knight, the more advantageous it was for Residue. On top of that, now that they were actually face to face, Sedi seemed less hostile toward him than he had expected. Well, she had hurled barbs at him the moment she first appeared, but that was due to his own critical misjudgment, so he'd set that aside.
...Why had her attitude changed from last time? Because he had brought the White Knight Agolet along? No, that wasn't it. Sedi didn't seem particularly attached to living right now. She wasn't the type to feel fear simply because someone was stronger and adjust her behavior accordingly.
He looked at Sedi. Her red eyes happened to be turned his way as well, but shortly after their gazes met, she quietly averted hers.
'......'
Could it be that, to some degree, she was seeing Lukas in this body?
"...If I go to the summit."
Sedi murmured abruptly.
"What could I even do?"
"......"
Was this a question? Or just thinking aloud?
Residue studied Sedi's face. Her eyes were fixed on something far away. He couldn't tell what she was looking at, but one thing was certain: it wasn't him.
There are questions people throw out without wanting an answer. This seemed to be one of them, but instead of staying silent, Residue chose to speak up.
"Agolet, how much time is left before the summit?"
"Approximately an hour and a half, Your Majesty."
"Just right."
Residue said with a nod.
Sedi, who had been silent for a moment, blinked. She realized that "just right" had been directed at her, not at Agolet.
"Just right for what?"
"Time to think. Starting now, mull it over. What you can do once you get there."
"A problem like that isn't going to be solved by mulling it over for a measly hour and a half."
"Ninety minutes isn't that short, you know."
"...If you're trying to play word games."
Residue let out a small laugh and shook his head.
"Is that how it sounded? Too bad, because I'm being serious. In cases like these, it's actually better to have limited time. If three days and nights of deliberation won't produce an answer, then a month or a year won't bring any real progress either."
"...A narrow-minded argument."
"Well, don't be so dismissive. Surely you can tell that I'm not spouting complete nonsense."
"......"
Sedi closed her mouth again.
Then those scarlet eyes settled on Residue once more. This time, for quite a while, the longest she had looked at him yet. Several emotions swirled within those ruby-like irises.
"...What happened to you? You weren't like this the last time I saw you."
"Hm?"
"Are you going to play dumb? You were a walking corpse, barely clinging to life. Your face looked like the world had ended, wearing an expression that said you wanted to die, and yet you couldn't, so you just kept on living. You too."
"Fair enough. It hasn't been that long ago, has it."
"...How did you overcome it?"
Residue answered in a calm, even voice.
"It sounds like you want advice, but unfortunately, I don't think my experience would be of much help to you."
"......"
"What I can tell you, Sedi Trowman, is this: it is far better to step out and go somewhere, anywhere, than to stay holed up in a place like this, drowning in apathy. The evidence speaks for itself."
"Evidence?"
"Me, rotting away in a cramped little room and wasting the days. Agolet, who spent longer in seclusion than perhaps anyone in the world. And you, sitting on Demensio's throne counting the dust as it piled up. The three of us are cut from the same cloth. We all share the experience of watching ourselves slowly die."
"......"
"And both I and Agolet had a change of heart that led us to leave those places behind. Honestly, plenty of miserable things happened after that too, but it was still far better than rotting away where we'd been. Do you understand what I'm saying? If this is the worst things can get, then from this point on, no matter what you do, things can't possibly get any worse."
"So you're saying this is the lowest point of my life."
Sedi said this and curled the corner of her lip upward.
The shape was similar to the sneers she had shown before, but the feeling behind it was somehow different.
"Still, that's cutting it awfully close. I don't think an hour and a half will be enough to find an answer."
"Then you'll arrive at the answer that there is no answer. That's not a bad outcome either."
What kind of bullshit is that? Sedi said as much with her face.
Insolent brat. Residue replied as much with his eyes, then spoke aloud as well.
"Think about it carefully. Do you really think predictions are going to be of any use at this summit? Even among the Rulers, it was rare for all four of them to be gathered in one place. Now you'll have four beings of comparable stature, twelve more who come close, one entity that surpasses all of them combined... and there may be participants no one even anticipated."
Like Iris Pisfinder, or Kiel Marlgol.
Even those whose raw strength fell short of the standard could qualify for the summit if they wielded enough influence over the world. Calling it "qualification" made it sound grand, but in truth, this summit didn't have particularly strict conditions for participation.
The minimum requirement, as Residue saw it, was simply being able to voice one's opinion among the likes of the Half King, the Four Knights, the Rulers, and the Twelve Void Lords. The problem was that very few in the world could do that.
"You love talking in circles. Doesn't suit you at all. What's your point?"
"The point is that no amount of thinking ahead will mean anything. When you look at it that way, not having an answer is actually preferable. Your mind might change once you're actually there."
Sedi's mouth fell slightly open.
He half expected a scoff to slip from those parted lips, but after a moment she closed her mouth and gave a faint nod. Surprisingly, she seemed to accept this argument riddled with holes.
"Your Majesty."
Agolet called quietly to Residue.
Time must truly be running short.
"Sedi Trowman."
Residue said, looking at Sedi.
"What will you do?"
***
Michael made for an excellent mode of transportation, but even so, they couldn't reach King's Castle instantaneously.
"Why not?"
"The coordinates around the castle are tangled up in an extremely complex way. It seems someone deliberately scrambled the surrounding space."
Michael answered, and Futurix, who was operating the spacecraft, added.
"King's Castle was meant to serve as a residence for Her Majesty the Half King. She said she couldn't allow Destruction to intrude as easily as last time. In both a practical sense and a symbolic one."
"Who said that?"
"The Exile."
Futurix's expression darkened again.
Residue wasn't in a particularly pleasant mood either. The Exile's abilities had been invaluable in many ways, with no shortage of uses. He was, after all, the only being who had made contact with the "outside".
Regret wouldn't change anything. Residue clicked his tongue and spoke.
"So from here, we have to take the spacecraft. But if the coordinates are all tangled up, will the others be able to find their way?"
"The measures are meant to prevent spatial teleportation, so reaching it by traveling directly isn't difficult. There are a few safeguards in place, but they were designed against Destruction, so there's no worry of them activating."
"I see."
Residue took a moment to survey the faces of everyone aboard the spacecraft.
It struck him that, whether in appearance or temperament, this was a group with absolutely nothing in common. He cleared his throat to draw their attention and said:
"Gather round for a moment."
"Gather round?"
"I'm saying come here."
"Why."
"Because I have something to say. ...Do I really have to spell out every little thing?"
Residue grumbled, and only then did the others, scattered in their own corners, reluctantly drift together.
"I'm not sure we'll get another moment as relaxed as this, so I figured we should have an honest talk. Open and sincere."
"About what?"
Beniyang asked, her face skeptical. Her expression alone was enough to tell exactly what she thought of Residue.
"Something like defining our relationship?"
"Pardon?"
"Look at us. It's been at least thirty minutes since we boarded this ship, and every single one of us has been sitting in our own corner without exchanging a word."
Beniyang glanced around and nodded. It was only natural, given they were people with no real connection to begin with. And none of them were exactly the warm and friendly type either.
"We're too uncomfortable with each other to call ourselves friends, and our goals are too different to call ourselves allies. Yet, strangely enough, the work we need to do overlaps, and we'll be walking the same road for a while, so I think 'fellow travelers' is the most fitting term. Wouldn't you agree?"
Even after Residue delivered the line he had prepared, no one responded.
"The lack of enthusiasm is infuriating."
Belatedly, Agolet began to clap.
"You should have clapped sooner."
"My apologies."
Was clapping now supposed to be anything other than mockery? When Residue shot Agolet a sharp look, the knight bowed his head in an apologetic manner. Sly bastard.
Sedi, who had been watching the display with contempt, asked:
"What agenda is the summit going to be conducted around?"
The others looked curious as well.
Beniyang chimed in:
"Tell us what the agenda is and how you plan to steer the discussion. By your own logic, we're fellow travelers now, so depending on how things go, I'll back you up."
She wasn't sure how much of an effect it would have, but it had to be better than keeping silent or opposing him outright. That was what Beniyang thought to herself.
Residue spoke.
"The first order of business will obviously be formulating a countermeasure against Destruction. Before that, we'll share information...... After that, five individuals will need to be selected."
"Five individuals for what?"
Sedi apparently hadn't heard, so Residue gave her a rough explanation of the Five vs Five Battle that the Negotiator had proposed some time ago.
"...That's an incredibly important role."
"It is."
"Five people...... Have you decided on a rough lineup?"
"No. I'm still thinking."
"You're going to claim one of the spots for yourself?"
"Haven't decided that either."
"You'll pick based on who's strongest?"
"Who knows."
Sedi was at a loss for words and stared at him as if he were beyond comprehension. She knew he wasn't one for plans, but this was pushing it.
Of course, Residue wasn't entirely without thoughts on the matter.
"It's still at the speculation stage, but...... if my hunch is right, picking in order of strength might actually turn out to be the worst possible choice."
"What?"
"What I mean is..."
Just as Residue was about to continue, a heavy thud shook the ship and he felt them drop into a rapid descent.
"We've arrived."
Futurix's curt voice came through. With a high-pitched whine, the exit hatch opened and Residue and his fellow travelers disembarked at once.
"......"
Residue took in the spectacle before him with fresh eyes.
King's Castle, rising tall in the middle of the desert.
Once the residence of the Former Void King, located in the central region of the World of Void, and the venue for the last summit of the Twelve Void Lords. Now, the site where the Greatest Summit would be held.
It felt like an age ago that he had stood there wearing a mask, conducting the meeting as the Beginning Wizard, as Lukas Trowman. In reality, barely one or two months had passed.
"It looks exactly the same as the last time I saw it. The ceiling is still smashed to pieces. Did no one bother to repair it?"
"It was at Her Majesty's request. She liked being able to see the sky."
"Well, I suppose the view would be nice."
Residue offered a half-hearted agreement, then asked Agolet:
"What's the time?"
"We still have about twenty minutes, Your Majesty."
"We arrived faster than I expected. I wonder how many are already inside."
It would be ideal if the Half King had arrived ahead of them.
...At any rate, it was finally beginning.
If there was a turning point in the war against Destruction, today was it. He could only hope the others shared that sentiment.
With that thought, Residue moved to enter King's Castle first, then stopped. He scratched his cheek as if something had slipped his mind, and said:
"Go on ahead."
Sedi paused and asked:
"Why? What about you?"
"I just remembered something I forgot. I'll be right behind you, so go on."
Most of them looked puzzled, but Residue's gaze was already fixed on somewhere far away, not here. There was a peculiar stubbornness in his tone, so they had no choice but to enter King's Castle ahead of him. Agolet was the last to go, watching Residue until the very end before giving a slight bow and disappearing.
Residue stood alone in the open desert, and when the last trace of their presence had faded completely, he spoke without preamble.
"If you've got something to say, make it quick. I'm busy."
"...Hahaha."
A cheerful laugh rang out.
He recognized the voice, though it didn't unsettle him the way it had before. Despite not matching its owner in the slightest, the laugh itself was remarkably clear.
"Hello there."
With notably improved pronunciation, smoke erupted from between the grains of sand. It churned and writhed amongst itself, and before long, it coalesced into a familiar shape.
The Negotiator. Residue looked at that grotesque face and smiled back.
"Your face has gotten a lot better since the last time I saw you. Been eating well?"
"Haha. Not at all. We have no need for biological functions."
"Right."
He shrugged and asked:
"So, what brings you here today?"
"What a bland question. You know the occasions on which I appear are always the same."
The Negotiator grinned wide enough to bare his gums.
"I've brought something to negotiate, Residue. This time, I believe you'll find it far more appealing."
*****
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