Eugene and Anise stood quietly in front of the Nurâs corpse for a few moments. Just why had the body been left in this state? The two had the same suspicion in their heads, but they couldnât bear to voice their thoughts out loud.
Instead, they just took a few moments to sort out their emotions.
The crashing sound could still be heard intermittently.
Afraid to stick her head out of the cloak, Mer just curled up inside of the cloak. Under the usual circumstances, Eugene would have patted Mer on the head or held her hand so that she wouldnât be so anxious, but right now, he simply couldnât bring himself to do it. He was feeling anxious himself, and he really didnât have the attention to spare for comforting her.
After standing there absentmindedly for some time, Eugene clicked his tongue and shook his head.
âIdiot,â he cursed. He didnât want to think about it, but he couldnât help it.
Eugene walked past the Nurâs corpse. Anise also let out a quiet sigh and followed behind him.
It was difficult to walk across the ground that rose and fell in waves as if flowing lava had seemingly hardened in place. Some places were hard enough to walk over, but other places were not as sturdy, and their feet would sink into the ground when they crossed those areas.
In addition, Lehainjar was a snowy mountain, and snow was naturally falling on its other side, but here, there was not even a trace of snow, much less a wintry landscape. Instead, everything here looked like a toddlerâs haphazard finger painting. Bizarre shapes with no coherent patterns formed the landscape.
Eugene and Anise were very familiar with this kind of environment. At this point in time, Helmuth was considered one of the empires. It was a normal country that accepted immigrants from all over the continent, and had lost all traces of its former appearance from three hundred years ago. The Helmuth of the past, however, had been a terrible sight worthy of being called âHell.â
âThis reminds me of the old days,â Eugene muttered as he climbed up the curved slope.
âDo you miss those days?â Anise asked from behind him.
âTo be honest, it would be a lie to say that I didnât miss them,â Eugene admitted. âBack then, I was still alive and hadnât died yet, and you were also alive at that time.â
Anise laughed wryly and nodded.
She glanced down at the lump of flesh by her feet. It was a fragment of a corpse that had been shredded to such minute bits that it was impossible to imagine what it originally looked like. Similar bits of flesh were scattered all across their field of view.
Someone had dragged the corpse here, randomly knocking it against whatever was in the way, then had torn it apart with grip strength alone before throwing the pieces away. While it was impossible to imagine the original appearance of the corpse, it was possible for them to picture why the corpse had become like this.
Eugene looked at the intestines hanging from a twisted tree.
Were they already rotten?
He couldnât really tell. The smell was foul and the colors were odd, so they definitely seemed to be rotten⌠or perhaps it was that the Nurâs internal organs looked like that to begin with.
Eugene wondered if that was even important. This place was more like a garbage dump than a grave, so it was more accurate to say that the shredded corpses here had been thrown away like garbage instead of being âenshrinedâ within a tomb.
Besides the lumps of flesh, guts, blood, and bones, there were several other traces visible. There were clear scratch marks on the cliffs and rocks â at least, it was clear that they had been intentionally made, though it was hard to tell if they were meant to be pictures or words.
Among all these traces, the ones that were most common and most prominent⌠were the traces of violence seemingly left by something thrashing about and randomly destroying whatever was around them.
Eugene and Anise walked past these traces, continuing to climb upward. The higher they got, the more violent, obvious, and frequent these traces grew. It was as if the one who left them behind wanted to make sure that no one would climb up this mountain. Or, perhaps, they didnât want anything up there to come back down.
âIdiot.â
This time it was Anise, not Eugene, who muttered this word. She stepped forward herself and swung her flail to topple the rubble blocking them.
Boom, boom!
The sound was no longer coming from so far away. Eugene tucked the Moonlight Sword, which he had been holding in his hand, back into his cloak.
For a moment, he hesitated. Should he pull something else out and keep it at the ready? He thought about it for a second. Was there really a reason for why he needed to have a weapon in his hand? In the end, he decided not to worry about it. He didnât pull out another weapon, and he didnât even clench his fists.
Anise, who now followed behind him once more, also hung the flail that she was holding back at her waist. Instead, both of her hands reached up to clutch the rosary hanging around her neck. In a low voice, Anise began to recite a prayer.
Boom, boom!
The sound was now coming from right ahead of them.
A few moments later, Molon came into view.
He looked just like what they had imagined he would from the moment that they had entered this side of the Lehainjar and had first heard those thunderous blasts.
Molon was sitting on his knees, with both hands gripping the ground, and he was smashing his own head into the ground. Every time this happened, the ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred.
Inside the cloak, Mer swallowed back a gasp. Eugene and Anise didnât show any immediate reaction. While they were climbing up here â no, from the moment Molon had revealed that there was something here that he didnât want to show them⌠they had suspected that they might see something like this.
Eugene and Anise were all too familiar with Molon. From three hundred years ago until now, Molon had always been a brave warrior who would never back down from a challenge. Someone else instead would have entertained the thought of just collapsing and giving in to despair when faced with such a duty, but they couldnât even imagine the sight of Molon quitting like that.
Molon had always stood at the forefront of the battlefield. He took that as his duty, and everyone entrusted the vanguard to Molon as if it was only natural. And truly, in those days, it was the natural thing to do. Because Molon was brave and he never backed down; he was a true warrior who was strong and would never falter.
âHey,â Eugene called out to Molon in a quiet voice.
Eugene hadnât directly experienced the three hundred years that had passed since they had last met. The same went for Anise. Anise had died and become an angel, but following her death, she had spent most of that time asleep. Thus, the two had never experienced what a long and terrible period of time three hundred years could be for a human being.
However, it was different for Molon. He had lived for those whole three hundred years. Apart from himself, all of his comrades had died, and after they had disappeared, he had endured all that time alone. He had the opportunity to choose to die in peace and happiness, with everyoneâs blessings for all that he had done.
Yet, Molon hadnât made that choice.
It was not that he was unwilling to die. No, Molon wanted to die, but he wanted a warriorâs death. In his view, all of his friends had died as warriors, and he desired the same for himself.
Then, Vermouth had entrusted this mission to Molon just as the latter was caught in this distress. Naturally, Molon had happily accepted the mission.
For over a hundred years, he alone had blocked the appearance of this race of ominous monsters whose origin was impossible to confirm. He had issued an edict to prevent anyone from crossing the Great Hamer Canyon and climbing to the peak of the snowy mountain. This was out of concern that people would encounter the Nur, as it was practically impossible to predict when and where they would reappear. Thus, Molon had to keep permanent watch over this barren wasteland at the end of the world.
Molon was strong. He was brave. He never backed down, and he never despaired. He would never collapse.
But he could still be worn down.
The weight of his hundreds of years had ground away at Molonâs mental strength. His body was still as strong as ever, but there were hundreds and thousands of corpses piled up in this place and all of the corpses were emitting poisonous aura. In addition, having to watch from the side as all of his beloved and dependable comrades, as well as his descendants, left this world, leaving him all alone, had gnawed away at Molon from the inside.
Now, his deceased comrades had reappeared in front of Molon. Their appearances were different from what they had looked like hundreds of years before, but Molon was still able to recognize them.
Eugene didnât know if Molon still personally thought of himself as the same âBrave Molonâ that he had been three hundred years before. However, now that he was able to reunite with his deceased comrades, Molon had probably decided that he wanted everyone to be able to address him the same as they had back in the day, and see him as the same great figure that they remembered rather than as a pitiful, ruined version of himself.
The Molon that Eugene remembered was just that type of fool. An idiot who didnât know how to use tricks and complicated things like that, and could only think in a barbaric and simple way.
As such, Eugene couldnât help but call Molon a fool once more.
âHey, idiot.â
The booming noises suddenly stopped. The figure of Molon, who had been pounding his head against the ground like a machine, froze in place.
Molon raised his head from the deep crater that he had dug. He didnât turn to look behind him immediately. Instead, he stayed like that for a few moments, then slowly turned his head.
âI didnât want to show you this side of me,â Molon said as he stood up.
His back was still turned toward them. Eugene stared at the bulging muscles that lined Molonâs back â his skin was flawless, with not a single scar.
Molonâs back, so tall and broad usually, looked strangely small now.
âSo what,â Eugene scoffed. âIt was only a question of sooner or later. Eventually, we would have found you like this. Have you forgotten about it? You agreed to show us this place once the Knight March was over.â
Molon argued back. âWhat I promised to show you was this place, not me acting like this.â
âHave you forgotten what I said?â Anise spoke up, her voice trembling slightly at first. However, she soon caught hold of her emotions and forced out her usual smile.
âMolon, didnât I say that if there's something that you definitely didn't want to show me, that would only make me want to see it all the more, no matter what the cost may be? From the time that I was born to the time that I died, I havenât had many wishes that came true, but thanks to you, Iâve been able to enjoy such a rare experience.â
It wasnât that Anise couldnât imagine Molon being in such a state. As the Saint, she had healed and saved countless people. In the process, she had seen countless people die in front of her without being able to do anything, and right at the very end, she hadnât even been able to save herself.
Thus, Anise was well aware of how people could break down and collapse. She had faced the option of giving in to despair and running away from everything. But in the end, she had been unable to run away. Things like her beliefs and her duty had held her back like a curse at her very last moment.
Anise didnât regret dying like that, however. In the end, she had been able to choose death rather than being forced into it.
However, Molon was different. He wasnât able to choose death. No one else could help him, nor could they save him.
Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.
âIf your head⌠was injured even a little, then I could at least heal you. But your head is so damn tough, Molon. I know you donât even have a scratch. Well, itâs kinda nice not having anything to do.â
Anise sympathized with Molon. Her heart ached for him, and it felt like she might even cry. However, she definitely couldnât allow herself to reveal these feelings. She felt like Molon wouldnât want to see her like that, and Anise herself didnât want to behave like that.
â...You two,â Molon said as he chuckled.
After staring blankly up at the sky for a few moments, Molon slowly turned around, and they were finally able to see his face.
It was just as Anise had said. Even though he had slammed his face into the ground hard enough that the very mountain itself had been shaken by the force, Molonâs forehead bore not a single scratch, let alone any injury or blood.
While he was physically intact, however, his expression said something completely different about his mental state. The impression that Molon had given off when they had seen him just a few days before was that he was the same Molon that they had known in the old days, but the man they were seeing in front of their eyesâŚ
This man was the same as he had been when they had first reunited in the Great Hammer Canyon. His eyes were cold, without any trace of emotion. Eyes that seemed to have been hollowed out by the years. Just like the eyes of Vermouth in the Darkroom â tired, cloudy, dull.
âYou⌠you havenât changed. Youâre just like you were in the old days,â Molon muttered at Eugene and Anise, looking at them with those lifeless eyes.
At these words, Eugene snorted and shook his head. âItâs because weâve both died once. That goes for me especially, since I died the earliest. Itâs only natural that I havenât changed.â
âThat goes for me as well,â Anise agreed. âMy life was also quite tragic, but I was still able to take my life after doing all the things that I wanted to do and drinking to my heartâs content.â
âIâŚ,â Molon trailed off with a light. âI tried my best not to change. I thought that I couldnât allow myself to do so. However, against my own will, I couldnât help but to change slowly.â
Eugene pointed out, âThree hundred years is a long time for a human being.â
âI know,â Molon sighed. âThree hundred years is a really long time. However, I still didnât want to change. I told myself that I couldnât, and I believed that I would only be able to fulfill my mission by maintaining a clear state of self.
A few days agoâŚ.
âIs it because of Vermouthâs request that you are unable to die?
When Eugene had asked that question, Molon had replied with a smile.
âI wonât die because I donât want to.
âAs a warrior, I need to live a worthy life. While following the request of an old friend, I am protecting the snowy mountains and the snowfield that I love, the country that I created with my own hand, and even the whole world.
âI donât want to die an unsightly death from old age. I want to die as a warrior, as a hero. Currently, death seems like a distant thing to me, but if I eventually lose strength and end up dyingâŚ.
âI must not fall,â Molon stated.
âThe corpses of the Nur that I have piled up until this point will act as proof of my life as a warrior and a hero.
Molon proudly declared, âThis is the mission that Vermouth entrusted to me. As the only one of us left alive, I accepted his request.â
Vermouth had made the request, and Molon had chosen to accept it. Because this was what Molon wanted.
Molon did not resent Vermouth. Vermouth hadnât given him any explanation. He hadnât said what the Nur were, nor why they kept reappearing. He hadnât even explained why he was asking for this favor.
Yet, Molon still didnât resent Vermouth. It was because he knew full well that the only one Vermouth could trust with this sort of task was the Brave Molon.
â...Iâm fine,â Molon said after a vigorous shake of his head. âIâm just a little dizzy. As you may have already sensed, the Nurâs miasma is hellish. Itâs impossible to get used to it. Especially for me, since Iâve killed so many of them over such a long period of time. As such, there are times when I canât control all of the things inside me.â
âSo what? Since you canât control yourself, youâre trying to solve your problems like that?â Eugene asked sarcastically.
âI know that it's embarrassing and ugly. Iâm all too aware that such behavior does not befit a warrior, so I didnât want to show you this. The more I thought about it, the angrier I grew with myself. Thatâs why I was smashing my own head into the ground,â Moon shamefacedly confessed.
âIdiot. Do you really think that you can let go of your anger by smashing your head into the ground,â Eugene muttered as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
At these words, Molon could only grin.
âHamel, Anise,â Molon spoke up after a short silence. Like his weary eyes, his voice sounded just as worn out as he continued, âIsnât it enough now?â
âWhat do you mean?â Eugene demanded.
âHamel, you said that you wanted to see this place. Anise, you also said that you wanted to see the thing that I didnât want to show anyone. In the end, youâve seen all that you wanted to see,â Molon reminded them.
Eugene noticed that Molonâs fingertips were trembling slightly.
Molon attempted to persuade them. âI donât know how you got in here. Even if I make you leave, you might be able to come back in. But please, donât. I stillâŚneed some time to calm down properly. I donât want you to see me in that state any longer.â
Molon could feel Eugeneâs gaze. He cupped his trembling hands together to hide the shaking and turned back around.
âGo back to Fort Lehain. Thereâs a chance that the Nur might reappear once more. I⌠I will return in two days,â Molon promised.
âAnd what if the Nur doesnât reappear during those two days,â Eugene retorted. âWill you keep banging your head on the floor like you were before?â
Molon defended himself, âItâs not like itâs really all that painful for me to do so.â
âI suppose so,â Eugene agreed sarcastically.â Your body is uselessly tough, and if your body breaks down because of excessive self-injury, then you wonât be able to continue fulfilling Vermouthâs request.â
âIâm not just doing this because of Vermouthâs request, Hamel. Like I said before, any one of us would do the same thing that I am,â Molon argued back.
âI know. Thereâs no way that you can just leave a monster like the Nur or whatever to its own devices, so even if it were me in your place, I would have lived here in order to keep killing the Nur. Then, when I finally thought that I couldnât continue doing this any longer, I would have killed myself,â Eugene stated without any hesitation.
âThat wouldnât have happened, Hamel. You werenât such a weak warrior. None of us would have ever committed suicide without fulfilling our mission.â
âThen I would just gone crazy and broken down,â Eugene muttered as he stared at Molon. âJust like you have.â
â...Iâm not crazy,â Molon denied it. âIâm not broken either. Iâm just having trouble keeping calm.â
âI hope that is the case. For you, it must have been a very long time ago, but the battlefield that we fought onâŚ,â Eugene smirked as he kicked something in front of him.
Pow!
A crumpled Nurâs head was sent flying by Eugeneâs kick.
â...It was full of monsters that were much worse than this one. If you were caught up with dealing with a guy like this for over a hundred years, then someone like you, whoâs barbaric by nature and overflowing with strength, would never be satisfied with just that. It might get your blood boiling, but it wouldnât be enough to calm you back down.â
Anise attempted to intervene, âHamel, Molon isââ
âBe quiet, Anise,â Eugene cut her off.
In the face of Eugeneâs sharp gaze, Anise just sighed and took a few steps back.
âIdiots,â Anise muttered.
âDonât include me in that,â Eugene replied with a laugh.
Eugene put his right hand inside of his cloak and raised his gaze to look up the mountain. There was still some more distance that they could climb.
âHey, Molon, I want to take a look at the peak of this mountain,â Eugene suggested.
Eugene changed the subject. âCome to think of it, your descendant told me quite an interesting story.â
Back in Hamelon, the capital of Ruhr, Aman Ruhr had dropped them in front of the statue of Hamel and Molon, then said something to Eugene with a smirk.
Recalling that moment, Eugene said, âIâve heard that you said it yourself. That three hundred years ago, you were the strongest of Vermouthâs comrades. In other words, you were saying that you were stronger than me.â
âHamel,â Molon called out calmly.
Eugene continued unimpeded, âCome to think of it, Iâm also very curious. While traveling around with Vermouth, I faced him a few times, but Iâve never had a proper match with you.â
Molon turned his head around once more to look at Eugene.
âAlso, Anise showed me something interesting,â Eugene added.
He was talking about the dream that he had been shown through the Holy Sword in the Samar Rainforest.
âYou, you said something while weeping on my grave, didnât you? You said that you wanted to fight with me someday. You wanted to know, between you and me, who was the greater warrior, right?â Eugene pressed Molon.
Molon hesitantly tried to defuse the situation. â...I, I donât need to fight with you, Hamel. I know you very well. I recognize your ability. Youâre greater, braver, and strongerââ
âDo you really think that?â Eugene asked while tilting his head to the side.
Unable to reply, Molon just glared at Eugene. Seeing this gaze, Eugene smiled and nodded.
âYour eyes tell me that you donât really think that,â Eugene observed as his hand inside of his cloak grabbed onto Akasha.
Molon warned him, âDonât do anything foolish, Hamel.â
âHe would have thought that such words would ever come from your lips,â Eugene sarcastically marveled as his White Flame Formula emitted sparks of purple flames.
As Molon saw this appearance, he clenched his fists.
Eugene saw a faint light beginning to flicker within Molonâs eyes. He promised, âI wonât use any weapons, because youâre a friend, after all.â
âHamel!â Molon shouted in alarm.
âHowever, I will use magic. Since your skills arenât the same as they were in my past life, it should be fine for me to use the magic that I wasnât able to use back then,â Eugene justified himself.
With Akasha, Eugene began to prepare his Signature.
Anise, who had already backed off into the distance, shook her head.