Episode 359

I couldn't afford to keep looking cool, though. The moment I shook my head, I saw the distant Delac spreading his right hand toward the sky. As I tilted my head at the rather strange movement, a dark aura formed in Delac's palm and shot like a cannonball into the sky. The fired energy stayed still above Sandstorm Hill. It was like a small dark cloud had suddenly appeared.

My lips dried up with inexplicable anxiety. Then the dark cloud split into hundreds of pieces and fell down. It looked as if hundreds of weapons were pouring down from the sky.

A chill ran down my spine the moment I realized the killing intent contained in it. I finally understood Delac's intentions. He intended to ignore me and exterminate the dwarves first.

Dammit, Father...When did you learn such a technique?

I paused while thinking about how to respond to this wide-area attack. As Luan I had the White Sun Eclipse, but I couldn't think of a way to respond to the attack as Luzard.

—Grip the Black Dragon Fang with both hands and swing it toward the sky!

Maybe that was why I was able to act on Vulcanus' words the moment I heard them in my mind.

The moment I gripped the hilt, the blade seemed to ignite, and an immense flame shot out once I finally swung it. It was as spectacular as a great spell cast by an Archmage. The flames that were shot out soon took the form of firebirds. Perhaps due to my mood, I seemed to hear the cry of a phoenix from somewhere.

The moment the phoenix spread its wings, it was able to completely block Delac's ranged attack.

Baaaaaaang!

Flames and darkness clashed in the sky, more intense than any firework. The harmony of both forces clashing under the night sky was dazzlingly beautiful. My eyes were drawn to the mesmerizing sight for a moment.

Then I realized that Delac was gone from the roof. If his targeting the dwarves had been a feint, then it was obvious who he was really targeting.

I immediately raised my energy detection and felt an eerie presence behind me. I didn't have time to look back, so I raised the Black Dragon Fang behind me.

Clang!

I wasn't able to defend properly due to my unstable posture. My weight sharply shifted forward, so I just surrendered to it. However, I added strength to the inertia of falling down and did a somersault. I firmly braced the arm holding the Black Dragon Fang as I did so. For a moment, my body became a spinning wheel with a blade.

Of course, the large motion meant that Delac easily avoided it, making me think, Ah...Should I have just used my tail?

A lizardman's tail attack was quite powerful. Depending on the skill of the user, it could produce more destructive power than a whip made of steel. However, I wasn't fundamentally a lizardman so I kept forgetting that my tail existed.

As I was thinking something useless, a huge shadow condensed around the Iron-Blooded Lord's forearm and quickly grew to a jaw-dropping size. It looked like he had smelted darkness and wrapped it around his arm. His arm was now almost bigger than my body and reminded me of a giant's arm.

Immediately afterward, his giant hand struck me. I hastily blocked with the Black Dragon Fang, but the sheer force sent my body flying. I spun over and over in the air before springing back to my feet, covered in dust and dirt. I had no idea how far I had been thrown across the square. It seemed that three or four buildings had been destroyed by the flames.

Delac reappeared, shaking off the flames from his collar. I held the Black Dragon Fang and waited for his next attack, but he just watched me without making a move.

I finally looked around. We were in a spot so far away that the dwarves were no longer visible.

"Your words aren't without reason," he said. Unexpectedly, Delac's first words were acknowledgment. "Killing them all might be too much. Most of them have some extenuating circumstances."

"Then..." I began.

"But not all of them would be like that."

Hearing his firm tone, I closed my half-open mouth.

"You said it earlier. Not all of them conspired with the church. Some were forced to go along with the overall trend."

"That's right."

"In fact, most people are like that. Their circumstances determine their tendencies. A child who grows up in a back alley is bound to be a thief."

It was strange. Delac's mental age was definitely younger than mine, but his voice was filled with age. It was as if he had seen and experienced countless people with his own eyes.

"Those dwarves will choose the church again when the opportunity comes. They will be swept away by the atmosphere again. Right now, they are repenting for their sins, talking about atonement and speaking passionately, but that is still following the trend."

"That is a possibility. That is why our role is more important," I said.

"What is our role?" Delac asked.

I replied with a smile, "What else? Run around day and night to prevent such an atmosphere from being created again."

Delac said nothing as I continued, "We have to prevent the Dark Church from flourishing. If we prevent them from interfering with the lives of good people, they won't come into contact with evil in the first place. So in that sense, there is no fault of ours in their actions."

I spoke rather far-fetched words and glanced at Delac. I saw a boy who hadn't become the Iron-Blooded Lord yet. I had no idea what kind of turmoil was in this person's heart right now. It was hard to even guess. Still, there were things I could discern clearly.

I continued, "This isn't a problem that can be solved by killing or being killed, right? There is a limit to what an individual can do. Sometimes, faith can be a way forward."

"Faith? It is indeed important. However, I've already seen countless precedents. Repentance is easy, but it is difficult for someone to truly change their heart and be good. It is the same for them. The moment there is an executioner in front of them, they kneel down and beg for mercy. Then how long do you think this type of mindset will last? One year? Or ten years?" Delac shook his head. "Those who have committed evil deeds once don't easily change their hearts. That is human nature."

In fact, that was likely the essence of the world. Evil deeds were easy and sweet. It was difficult to break away once someone dipped their hands into it. It was because the reward was greater than the effort put in. On the other hand, good deeds were tedious and exhausting, requiring patience to carry out consistently. Thus, the Dark Church insisted that human nature was more inclined towards evil.

"But we need to have faith," I declared.

"Why?"

"If there is no faith, then you will need to kill every person in this world. Isn't that too extreme?" I replied. "You told me that a child who grows up in a back alley is bound to be a thief. That is wrong."

I stared at Delac before continuing, "A child born into a prestigious family, envied by everyone, can become a loser. On the other hand, a goblin born in the sewers can also be a hero."

"Can a goblin really be a hero?" Delac asked.

"A goblin can be a hero more noble than anyone else. I saw it with my own eyes."

It had been confirmed that a goblin who had been born in the sewers, abandoned by his kin and scorned by human society, could still remain good. He could even die for the sake of others.

"So our role is to build a better environment. It is to uproot the roots that spread evil. There is no need to cut out the entire area. There will naturally be blades of grass that have already been contaminated. The seeds of evil might even still be lurking beneath the ground. But within it, you can also find lives growing strong and upright. We can't know until they are fully grown."

True reform of the heart took a long time. If someone like me were to be taken as a standard, it would take around ten years. So I respected all possibilities. I didn't want to kill those who hadn't crossed the line. I believed the thing that ought to be avoided the most was crushing those very possibilities.

I said one last thing. "You might say that they are cowardly. They might fall back into evil and corruption. Still, there was one who served bird meat cooked with care to a hungry lesser race. I don't think he is evil enough to die."

I finished speaking and quietly looked at the Iron-Blooded Lord. I had said everything I could. I hadn't intended to persuade him in the first place, so my words were a bit disorganized. Nevertheless, I conveyed my true intentions.

Thus, it was up to Delac how the situation would develop in the future. I held the Black Dragon Fang firmly and faced him. Then Delac Badniker—

"Hahat."

He burst out laughing.

I couldn't help feeling a bit dizzy. I had seen Delac smile a few times, but this was the first time I had seen him laughing so purely.

"So that is what you were thinking when you were served the food." The Iron-Blooded Lord muttered in a lonely tone, "You really don't look like me. You look a lot more like Brother than me."

Brother? I wondered.

"I understand your way. I will respect it. However, I also have to respect the way of the Iron-Blooded Lord. Even if the path is wrong or it is condemned by everyone, I can't deny my own self, at the very least," he said. Then the Iron-Blooded Lord turned around and disappeared beyond the raging flames.

Did he really leave? I wondered, staring into the flames for ten seconds. The moment I was convinced that Delac had left, I almost lost strength in my legs. My body wasn't that tired, so why was I so mentally fatigued?

—It must be because you used my power! The Firebird Launch is a technique that consumes a tremendous amount of mental strength!

What kind of name is this? I thought to myself. I had an excellent sense for names, so it was hard for me to understand this name. I would have to make a new one later.

In any case, as I was standing there breathlessly, I felt presences around me. One by one, the dwarves started to gather again.

"A-are you okay?"

"W-where is the Iron-Blooded Lord?"

They knew it was the Iron-Blooded Lord, unsurprisingly. Delac's disguise was simple; he had a familiar appearance, transcendent strength, and power over darkness and shadows, so it would have been strange if no one had noticed.

Then I need to revise Ludwig's plan. I nodded while thinking about various things.

I said, "He left."

"L-left?" a dwarf asked.

"That's right," I replied.

"T-that ruthless and heartless Iron-Blooded Lord?"

"That's right."

"T-the person who never reverses his decision once he has decided to kill someone has actually given up on killing us?"

No shit, Luan thought, but Luzard nodded patiently one more time and repeated, "That's right."

There was a moment of silence before cheers erupted all over the place. Some of the dwarves' legs gave up and a few sank to the ground. Tears were occasionally visible on their faces.

I looked at the village, which was still burning, and said, "I regret what happened to your residence."

"I-it's okay. It is roughly built, so we can rebuild it quickly."

"By the way, what will happen to you now? You did it for our sake, but it is a serious crime to oppose the Iron-Blooded Lord."

That was indeed the case. I wondered how awkward it would be when we met again later. He probably wouldn't try to kill or imprison me, at least. That was as far as I'd thought it through.

Is it really a serious crime? I wondered. I suddenly felt enlightened by these words. I felt like I had come up with a trick to take advantage of this situation.

At this moment, an older dwarf who seemed experienced spoke with a worried expression. "I know that the Iron-Blooded Lord has a unique position in the empire. He also has the right to carry out executions without following any procedures. By opposing him, won't our benefactor be punished by imperial law?"

"Punished? That is something we can't tolerate!" Konjian clenched his fists. He glared at his dumbfounded kin and started shouting, "Isn't that right, everyone? We have already received a great favor from our benefactor! The Vulcan, who fought the Iron-Blooded Lord to save us, being thrown into imperial prison? At the risk of our dwarf pride, such a thing can never happen!"

"Yes, that's right!"

"Sandstorm Hill knows loyalty!"

Voices of agreement erupted all around me. Konjian was emboldened by their support and turned to me, saying, "Come with us! At the very least, there will be dwarves in the south who share our will! If we share with them that Vulcan has appeared, you will receive a lot of support!"

"Definitely! If the dwarves join forces, even the empire can't ignore us!"

"Yes!"

I looked at the somewhat riled up dwarves and said quietly, "Don't do it."

"Huh?"

I said with Luzard's characteristic stiff expression, "I mean that you can't reveal my true identity to anyone."

"W-why?"

"Look at me." My expression became somewhat resigned as I said, "Can other dwarves be so easily convinced? A lizardman, a member of a lesser race, is calling himself Vulcanus' messenger, Vulcan."

I gazed at the desert with melancholic eyes and said, "The world isn't ready yet. That is why I am wandering in the south."

"What does that..." a dwarf began.

"Some people disparage the south as a barbaric land, but I think differently. I believe that those who make this place their home can change faster than anyone else. Just as you finally recognized me as Vulcan," I answered.

Upon hearing my words, the dwarves trembled simultaneously as if a current had passed through them.

Then I dealt the final blow. "In the first place, I didn't do it hoping for a return gift."