Episode 891 Sixth (4)
There is a time period in which only certain generations live, a time that other generations cannot enjoy. Intellectuals termed this an era.And in each era, there were beings, or figures, who dominated that time.
The ancient king who completely overturned the tide of the War of the Transcendents eight centuries ago.
The four gods of the Ruas Theocracy who defeated the Legion’s Archdemon Molgarn 6 to 7 centuries ago.
Five centuries ago, the first Demon King.
Four centuries ago, the 5th Emperor of the Arnach Empire.
Before the 3rd century (early to mid-period of the Inter-race War), she was the Empress of Delharun.
and.
The first adventurer before the 3rd century (late stages of the Interspecies War).
Naturally, not all of them represented the strongest of the era. The 5th Emperor of Arnach was an ordinary human who passed away at the age of 73.The selection criteria were strictly based on the immense influence exerted on the continent.
Human, or a transcendent being of human origin.
Compared to them, elves, beastmen, and dwarves had a strong concept of territory. Furthermore, the numbers of elves and dwarves were much smaller than those of humans. Thesame was true for their desire for dominance.Since they lacked the ambition to exert strong global influence, there were many ambiguous aspects that made it difficult for them to represent the era on behalf of humanity.
Of course, in this era, there is the Beast King Antias, who is called the greatest creature of the Great Beast Tribe, but… … .
An era can only be evaluated once it has entered the next era.For this reason, the being symbolizing the modern era—which is filled with the majority of powerful beings of the 8th rank and has historically had the largest number of transcendents—has not yet been determined.
In other words.
The Lugard whom Verden faced was a figure whose reputation had long been settled.There was likely no one who did not know the First Adventurer, even if they had no connection to the genre. After all, he was a man always mentioned when discussing the great figures who changed history.
Even though I expected it, it certainly feels different now that he has revealed his identity himself.
Dragging the selfish dwarves out of the fortress.Making the bystander elves come out of the Great Forest.Forcibly settling the savage beastmen down… … .
The first adventurer put an end to the interspecies war that had been going on for years by using negotiations involving force, in addition to the existing conflict, and the Empress killing the Water King.
To think he would forcefully pressure another race to sign an interspecies peace treaty. It is unbelievable. However, what was even more shocking was his ‘noble nature.’For he suppressed his personal hatred toward other races and chose the greater cause for everyone.
It is not without reason that statues honoring his achievements were erected not only at the Adventurer’s Guild but also throughout the continent, including academies that educate children.There is probably no one who can match Lugard’s stature in terms of character.
The first adventurer who left the leader of the Ark was enough to earn Verden’s respect.
“Even for a transcendent being, it must have been a difficult time to endure while fully alive. You are in such good health, both physically and mentally, like a transcendent being of the present era.”“It is not a natural prolongation. That, too, is one of my secrets.”
Lugart showed deep interest.
“I wonder if you can see that far into my hand with the cards you hold. It may be premature to share all secrets with a captain who has not yet undergone his coronation.”“I believe that time is not something that comes to you, but something you decide.”“Do you desire an independent life? If so, it is up to you whether or not I decide the timing.”
Following Lugard, Verden also moistened the tip of his tongue with wine.
The flavor is deep.
It is safe to say that it is on par with the red wine from the Magnus Bank. They say the first adventurer enjoyed drinking wine. Itwas as if the record in the history books, though trivial, was proven to be true.
“What order would you like to take?”“I will answer first.”
Verden was given the opportunity to ask a question.
Keep the atmosphere light like everyday life.Keep the theme heavy.
“So, was the Ark created by the First Demon King?”“You’ve already reached that conclusion. Then again, a giant sky island has a structure that cannot be born or sustained naturally, so it is only natural. Besides, I can’t think of any other being capable of designing a sky island like this.”
Lugart agreed.
“The one who created the Ark was the First Sorcerer King, Oldarc Ruin Akenard. Probably.”“If it is probably.”“I never witnessed the First Sorcerer King constructing the Ark, so I do not know who created it. I merely received it. That moment felt as brief as it was impressive.”
An unforgettable adventure flashed through my mind.
“……It was a few years after we let Valion Freya, who had betrayed the Ark, slip away.”
The past of about 300 years ago was cast in Lugard’s shining yellowish-brown eyes.
“The reason the first Demon King came to find me was.”
* * *
When the war between races broke out, countless amounts of blood flowed and corpses appeared.
However, as time passed and the war reached its midpoint, fighting gradually subsided, showing signs of peace. Although the atmosphere was not good, it had calmed down enough for ordinary people to go about their daily lives.
At the time, Lugart was a young prosecutor in his 20s and a candidate for the Ark.
I walked the world with loved ones, embarking on countless adventures. As I grew stronger by overcoming various hardships, I increasingly solidified my resolve for humanity.It was a life of faithfulness.I never wasted a single day, ensuring that I would have no regrets even if I were to die tomorrow.
However, just before peace was restored… the Empress of Delharun killed the Water King of that era.
The peace negotiations collapsed immediately. The dying embers of war flared up wildly. Humanity demonstrated its will for peace to the very end by refusing to aid the Empress.Naturally, the Beastmen, who had torn the Empress apart at a heavy cost, were not satisfied with that.
A new Beast King ascended the throne.The war between races resumed as an unprecedented melee.
Take the people to the front lines somehow. I will block this gate.
───Lugarth!
Hurry up!
Lugard also joined the war. There was no other choice but to participate. Villages were destroyed and cities fell at all times.Citizens who had lost their national capital and king suffered various deaths.
Lugard, who had stood alone at the castle gate holding off hundreds of beastmen, saw his vision stained with blood.Right in front of him lay the corpses of beastmen, while further ahead, the mutilated bodies of humans who had failed to cross the gate were piled high.
hell.
The scenery was truly hell.
He crossed the line between life and death time and again, trying to save more people, and he did. In the process, he was designated as the ‘next captain’ of the Ark, but Lugart’s duty remained the same.
Peace had to be restored somehow,before the number of victims increased further.
However—as if representing the end of the war, Lugart’s body and mind, having lost everything, also turned into a cruel hell.Despair worse than death overwhelmed the noble sense of mission of the Ark.
───For what on earth…
Holding the man whose entire body had been pierced by dozens of arrows in his arms, Lugart sobbed endlessly.
Suicidal impulses were carried to the very tip of the sword.
However, unable to commit suicide because of a promise, he left the war and simply started walking. Yes, he walked. Until the moment his feet left the ground.
No matter who stands in the way.No matter what happens around you.No matter where your feet lead you.
Eventually, Lugart vanished from view in the silent desert and went missing. Whether he was there or not, the war between races continued to claim many lives.
Several years have passed.
The stage where Lugard reappeared was the boundary between Delharun and the Demon Realm. Nearby stood a human fortress besieged by beastmen.It was that very day.It was the moment Lugard, clad in old and broken armor and robes, rejoined the war… and the day he returned as a candidate for the Ark.
The world had to welcome a new transcendent being.
For humanity.
Restoration of Delharun.
In just a few months, having single-handedly driven the warriors of the Great Beast Tribe into the Central Continent, he headed toward the United Nations of Humanity and seized full control of the power.By force.For the Transcendents and the Tower Masters who opposed him, the only thing left was an overwhelming defeat. The leaders of the nations remained silent, unable to speak a word.
Having thus seized control of the Allied leadership, Lugart roamed the continent without hesitation.
───Let go of this!!!
───… … .
───How, how could someone even greater than the Empress have to appear at this very moment… …!
He broke through the castle the dwarves boasted of head-on and dragged the clan leaders out. He made the guardians of the World Tree come out of the Great Forest of their own accord. He madethe new Beast King of the Great Tribe kneel and forced him to participate in a dialogue.
This was the summary of the previous.
Is it the Way of the Hegemon?Or the Way of the King?
Historians still debate how to define Lugard’s disposition. However, it didn’t matter which way it was.
Because peace has come.
Lugart did not stop there and founded the Adventurer’s Guild. His goal was to establish a global extermination organization to protect and strengthen humanity.Thanks to this, the number of victims dying silently at the hands of demi-humans and mutants was drastically reduced.
Lugard, the protagonist of the Interspecies War and the founder of the Adventurer’s Guild, was chosen as the captain of the Ark in recognition of his qualifications and merits.Furthermore, he went a step further and became the leader guiding the Ark.
His life as a leader was not smooth.
The world was always filled with trials and hardships, and Valion Freya, the slayer of calamity, betrayed the Ark by taking Gluttony’s corpse… … .
Several years had passed since then, but Lugard continued to regret that he had failed to end Balion by a mere hair’s breadth.The man who once lived without regret now spent his life riddled with it.
During that time, I met the first Demon King.
───So you are the one leading the current Ark.
A being that suddenly appeared in the most secret place of the Ark’s base. Lugart tried to respond immediately, but his fighting spirit soon vanished.
Something looked familiar.Indeed.The uninvited guest’s appearance was an exact replica of the statues seen in the Magic Kingdom and the magical world.
Above all, the instinct of the martial arts transcendentalist whispered very strongly.
… … cannot win, I said.
He was bewildered; although he had always considered the title of the continent’s strongest being—who also served as the first adventurer—to be undeserved, he had never tried to deny it.A wizard who made him think of defeat before victory? Regardless of his appearance, there was no way such a being could exist anywhere else.
───Oldark, the Sorcerer King?
I have something to give for the Ark. Will you follow me?
The First Demon King’s proposal was sudden, but he could not refuse. A strange, dreamlike encounter. Lugart was an adventurer by nature.Immediately afterward, the place they were transported to via spatial teleportation with the First Demon King was a massive sky island that seemed to float at the boundary between the universe and the continent.
───This is… … .
───Ark. This is the place that will become the center of the Ark from now on, Leader of the Ark.
The first Demon King personally guided the Ark and Exodium, adding various explanations.It was at this time that Lugart became the master of the Ark, and it was also at this time that he received the Eye of the World, which could identify the worthy person for the Ark.
Lugart, who had been mindlessly chasing after him because his mind couldn’t keep up, finally opened his mouth only after the first Demon King finished speaking.
Nearly 200 years have passed since you disappeared from the world. To think you would reveal yourself for the Ark when you didn’t even intervene in the war between races.
Lugard asked firmly.
───What ideals on earth are you pursuing, Oldarc Ruin Akenad.
What are you trying to achieve?
It was a question that encapsulated all the doubts swirling in my mind into a single one.The true will of the Transcendent is contained within the ideal.
There is only one thing I want to ask of you.
The blue eyes flickered.
───Protect the Ark. For the salvation of the world.
That was the last thing the first Demon King left to Lugard.
* * *
“This is the background behind why the Ark made the Ark its base. Since I have never told anyone about it until now, it is essentially a secret known only to you and me.”
Lugard continued speaking while drinking wine regularly as if by habit.
“The First Demon King never appeared before me again, but I would sense his presence whenever I looked back at Ark before migrating. And just as suddenly as he came looking for me, he vanished completely.”“…….”“I followed the First Demon King’s footsteps. And finally, using a few traces as clues, I discovered a strange structure. In the eastern swamps of the current Kingdom of Estiria.”
Just as Verden had, Lugard also arrived at the ruins connected to the Golem facility via a signal sent by the oval blue sapphire—Alpha—to the First Demon King.However, he left without properly investigating the ruins.
“Is there any other reason?”“The reason is that it goes against the Ark’s ideology for a leader of the Ark, who isn’t even a candidate, to interfere in continental affairs regarding the Ark, but honestly, I was scared.”
Lugard slowly tapped the table with his fingertips and leaned deeply back against the chair.
“Seeing that he readily handed the Ark over to the Ark, I was afraid that I might cause a problem with the arrangements the First Demon King was preparing. It might be arrogance, but that is how I felt. And I still do. Besides…”
He shook his head slowly.
“I felt that finding the First Demon King was not my role. So I named the Swamp Ruins the Tomb of the First Demon King, classified it as an Ancient Trial, and waited for the one permitted to fulfill that role.”“…….”“That is you, Verden.”
Four people challenged the trial, three died, and one overcame it to inherit the first Demon King’s
Now it’s my turn to ask a question.
Lugard also maintained a lighthearted tone while hitting the nail on the head.
“Alpha and Beta. Is the creator of the artificial golems indeed the first Demon King?”
Lugart encountered a side of the First Demon King that even the descendants of the great bloodline did not know. Even without an answer, the origin of the artificial golem had already been seen through.
Verden affirmed based on thorough calculations.
“That is correct.”“Judging by the circumstances, it looks like they found it beyond the mysterious spatial teleportation device beneath the ruins. I suppose not entering was the right decision. Considering how much Alpha and Beta follow you.”
Lugart did not ask any further about the origins of Alpha and Beta. He was simply satisfied with the conclusion that his idea was correct.
Before I knew it, the wine glass was completely empty.
“It’s a waste to waste the snacks on such a light wine. I’ll bring out a new one. Since we’re at it, I suppose we should change the location as well.”
Lugart stood up and took out an entire bottle of wine from the cabinet.Verden also got up.
“Is there another suitable place?”“The Ark’s storage.”
Lugard gave a faint smile.
“Since we have to decide on the sixth captain’s relic anyway.”
* * *
The grooves engraved on the streamlined tube, and the magical power filling its interior, were growing even more intense. How much time had passed? The entire tube was enveloped in a blue light.Soon, the moment it was completely lifted by the surrounding darkness, the light vanished without a trace.
Click, squeak───
The machine operated and the coffin began to open. The cover suspended in the air slowly rose, revealing the interior where nothing was visible.
thud.
Suddenly, a gray arm emerged from inside and grabbed the corner of the coffin. At the same time, magical energy flickered faintly around them again.
[Haaam.]
The ‘Golem’ that had come out yawned deeply and stretched. It was not just any Golem. Its appearance was on a completely different level from both natural and artificial Golems.
To put it simply, a humanoid golem.
It had no face, but its gray body perfectly modeled after a woman. Not only the arms and legs, but every joint fully reproduced the functions of the human body.
[……huh?]
The golem, who had been stretching like someone waking up from sleep, tilted its head. Looking around, she muttered quietly.
[It’s not my time to wake up.]
Something is strange.
Is it an error?
The Golem independently assessed the situation and sought out a problem solver. Beep. Beep beep beep. It quickly manipulated the three-dimensional blue membrane that had risen on its forearm.
Soon, as ‘communication’ was established with the opponent, a ‘screen’ appeared right in front of me. Magical power manifested the image of Deus Widen, the Master of the Lefragium Magic Tower.
It’s been a while, Gamma.
